


Daniella Eisold and the Forbidden Corridor

by Phina330



Series: Daniella Eisold's Hogwarts Mystery [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Video Game: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-06-24 17:39:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15635526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phina330/pseuds/Phina330
Summary: Jacob Eisold went to Hogwarts, broke school rules, and was expelled in his reckless pursuit of the fabled Cursed Vaults of Hogwarts.  Not long after, Jacob disappeared without a trace.  Now, it's his sister's turn to attend Hogwarts.  But with her brother's scandalous reputation shadowing her wherever she goes, will Dani be able to have her own adventure?  And, furthermore, will she be able to find out what exactly happened to Jacob?Basically, I'm trying to rewrite Hogwarts Mystery in a J.K. Rowling-esque fashion, so that the plot is more rewarding to read than a phone game you have to pay money or wait hours for.  I also might make the illustrated version, if people like this enough.(Author's Note: This fic is abandoned for now, due to lagging interest in the game itself.  Maybe if I pick the game up again, I'll start writing this fic again.  I know it wasn't too popular, but I figured I owe you guys the courtesy of letting you know the deets)





	1. The Beginning of Something New

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I've seen a lot of critiques about Hogwarts Mystery, in that people get frustrated at the gameplay and some of the characters, but are still intrigued enough about where the plot is headed. So I figured, hey, what if I flex my developing writer's skills a bit, and try to rewrite it to have more of a J.K. Rowling vibe, flesh out the characters a bit more, and have the story be generally more rewarding to digest? I asked the community (Tumblr) what they thought, and proceeded to get 54+ notes on that post, which is, like, 20x more than I usually get on an original post. Holy shit!
> 
> So...here's the first chapter. It's not too exciting, but hey, first chapters aren't usually amazing, and the game didn't give me a ton to work with with that first chapter. I gave it my best shot. I hope you like it!

Beyond the crowd of voices that merrily conversed in the dimly lit tavern, a young girl in a black cloak stood alone, tapping bricks on the wall bordering the back alley of the popular pub.Three bricks up, two across, and the bricks began to move, busily shuffling aside to reveal a widening hole.As the entryway to Diagon Alley became wider and wider, Dani Eisold started to have second thoughts.

Daniella Eisold, upon looking at her, didn’t seem any different than any young girl one may find on the street, other than that she was wearing a black cloak with the hood up in a closed-off back alley of a pub and tapping bricks on the walls.Straight brown hair past her shoulders, green eyes, tan skin, with no unusual scars or other oddities on her, a person walking past her on the sidewalk would probably glance at her for a second, then carry on walking, uninterested.But Dani Eisold was not just a regular person walking down the street trying to get to school on time, or pick up some groceries for her mother on her way home.Dani Eisold was a witch, and she had just gotten her letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the most famous and renowned school of magic in all of Great Britain.

When Dani had received her acceptance letter by owl that wonderful summer afternoon, she had been excited, of course, but not surprised.Her whole family was magic, and unless she was born a Squib (which was quite rare in all-magic families, and unlikely, given that she, as a toddler, had displayed an unusual aptitude for having items put out of her reach suddenly found in her hands not one minute later), it was only expected that she would be accepted at Hogwarts.And she had heard such wonderful tales of Hogwarts from her family.It was a castle full of magic and mysteries, offering secrets to be found and trouble to get into.Every magical kid who had heard of Hogwarts could not wait to go, for then they would finally be able to learn magic of their own.

And yet, Dani was having second thoughts about attending, not because she didn’t want to learn magic, not because she was scared of what Hogwarts had to offer (fun and/or potentially lethal), but because, even though Dani looked normal to any passerby, Dani was not normal, even by wizarding standards.However, it was not Dani herself who wasn’t normal, but her family, specifically her brother, Jacob Eisold.Jacob had a notorious reputation amongst those who would attend Hogwarts, and once Dani’s last name was discovered (for it was not exactly a common last name), all she would be associated with from then on would be her brother and his misdeeds.It was for this reason that she was nervous.

Still, she thought, as she took her first tentative steps into Diagon Alley and lowered her black hood, perhaps Hogwarts could still be fun even if she _was_ an outcast.She would still learn magic, and she could still have fun…she would just be stared at and ostracized by all of her peers and professors, and probably stay relatively alone and isolated, judged for acts she herself didn’t commit.But she could probably adapt…hopefully.

Dani’s pessimistic thoughts of her solitary life at Hogwarts were interrupted when she cleared the brick entrance and got the full view of Diagon Alley.It seemed bigger now that she was here alone, and not just tagging along with her parents and Jacob to do his school shopping.Her parents had offered to come with her to Diagon Alley, just like they had with Jacob, but she had refused them, almost begging them to just stay in the Leaky Cauldron and wait for her return.Her stated reason was that she was older now, and she wanted to do things on her own without her parents helping her, and that she could find her way around Diagon Alley just fine without their help since she had been here before.Her underlying reason, however, was that she didn’t want to be seen with them, because while the wizarding community probably did not know Dani’s face, they probably knew her parents’ faces from the _Daily Prophet_ , back when the whole incident with Jacob had happened.Dani knew it was inevitable that she would be recognized and singled out, but she would rather it happen later than sooner.

But looking out on the twisting and crowded stone paths of Diagon Alley, full of colorful and confusing street signs and buildings and positively bursting with busy witches and wizards, Dani couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of regret that she had dismissed her parents’ help.Sure, she didn’t want to be singled out so soon, but perhaps it would have been better than getting utterly lost and not being able to find her school supplies at all.

Dani was just considering turning back and meekly asking her parents to come with her after all, when someone spoke on her right.

“Excuse me, are you a Hogwarts student, too?You look lost.”

The speaker seemed to be a witch about her age, with olive skin, sleek black hair, and horn-rimmed glasses.She was clutching, quite tightly, what was presumably her Hogwarts acceptance letter and equipment list, as if afraid it would suddenly disappear.

“…Yes,” Dani replied nervously.The witch’s eyes were boring into her a bit intensely.“I’m a Hogwarts student.”

“Oh good, I thought so!You look the type.” The young witch spoke quickly and a bit breathlessly.“Anyways, _are_ you lost?You look lost.I can help you if you’re lost!”

Dani was a bit taken aback by how intense and excited this witch seemed, but reckoned that being helped about by a random person who had never been seen in any local newspapers was probably a better alternative than being instantly recognized if she did go back and seek her parents for help.Besides, this was a Hogwarts newcoming witch who was reaching out to her, before she had even gotten to school.Maybe Dani _could_ make a friend after all, if this went well, and if this would-be-friend could maybe stop staring at her so intensely.

“Well, I’ve been here before,” Dani started, and, just as the witch started to deflate a bit, continued, “but it’s a bit overwhelming now that I’m here on my own.I might need some help, yeah.”

“Oh, wonderful!” The witch responded, breaking into a smile and putting Dani a bit more at ease.Somehow, the intensity of the witch’s eyes, although not lessening, became more bearable when accompanied by her grin.“I can show you around!I’ve been studying up on Hogwarts ever since I got my acceptance letter, so I’m somewhat of an expert.I’m Rowan Khanna, by the way!”

“Nice to meet you, Rowan,” Dani greeted.So Rowan was indeed a first year, just as Dani had thought.Perhaps they could get to know each other before Dani dropped her own name, so that it might be harder for Rowan to back away slowly when she inevitably learned which family she came from.“So where should we head to first?”

“Well, have you gotten money yet?Because if you haven’t, then I can lead you to Gringotts Bank.”

“I’ve got money,” Dani replied, gesturing to the small bag slung on her shoulder.“My parents gave me enough to get my supplies.”

“Oh!Same here!” Rowan chirped, jostling her own purse.“Did you come here alone, too?”

“Well, not exactly,” Dani said sheepishly.“My parents are waiting at the Leaky Cauldron for me.They didn’t exactly _want_ to, but I insisted on doing this myself.”

“So did I!” Rowan said.She seemed to get more excited when she found things to share in common with Dani, which Dani thought was simultaneously cute and a little unsettling.“I don’t get out very much, so they were a little worried, but I told them I didn’t need their help, since I figured I had read and memorized enough of _Hogwarts: A History_ to figure out where I’m supposed to go, and I could help other people who hadn’t and who were lost, like you!Maybe even…make a friend…”Rowan’s voice trailed of and got quieter at that last bit, but Dani caught it.She found herself feeling both bad for and impressed with this girl.She was clearly trying her hardest, and was very eager to help, even if this world was apparently just as alien to her as it was to Dani.

Dani decided that the best course of action was to get going with her.“Alright then, since we both have our money, where do you think we should go first?”

“Can we go to Flourish and Blotts?”Rowan asked, an extra twinkle of excitement appearing as she mentioned the bookshop.“I want to get my hands on all the new books we get to read!”

“Alright, sure,” Dani shrugged, and let herself get led through the bustling streets by Rowan.

 

As they entered the bookshop, Rowan gave a little squeal of excitement, crinkling the letters she had clutched to her chest even tighter.She rushed forward eagerly, Dani following at a slightly less enthusiastic pace, found the nearest bookshelf, picked a random book off the shelf ( Unfogging the Future , by Cassandra Vablatsky) opened it to a random page, and inhaled deeply.

“Ahhhh!” Rowan exhaled, closing her eyes in bliss.“You’ve got to love that new book smell, am I right?”

“I suppose so,” Dani chuckled.Rowan beamed at her, then, after placing the book back on the shelf as gently as a mother would place their newborn in a cradle, she straightened out her Hogwarts letters and looked carefully at the equipment section of the letter.

“It looks like we need _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1,_ by Miranda Goshawk, _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot, _Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling, _A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch, _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore, _Magical Draughts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger, _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander, and _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection_ by Quentin Trimble,” Rowan recited. “So where do you think we should start?”

“Er…why not the first one?” Dani suggested.

“Really?” Rowan looked surprised.“I might have done alphabetical, but sure, we can start at the beginning.”

As they went down the aisles and picked out the books they needed, Rowan would pipe up occasionally with random facts.

“Did you know that Bathilda Bagshot lives in Godric’s Hollow, the same place the Potters lived?I’ve heard rumours that Headmaster Dumbledore lived there, too, but no one has confirmed it.”

“Newt Scamander was a Hufflepuff when he went to Hogwarts.I’ve heard some people call Hufflepuffs daft, but they can’t be, if Scamander was one of them!He was brilliant!”

“Quentin Trimble was actually a past Headmaster of Hogwarts!And he wrote some of the course material, see?I can’t wait to read it!”

Dani didn’t say much in response, since it was hard to get in more than a “Hmm,” “Uh huh,” or “Wow,” but she did appreciate Rowan’s company, as well as her guidance when Dani didn’t know quite where to look.Rowan seemed to know this bookshop like the back of her hand, but, judging from her reaction when she first came in, this seemed to be her first time here.Dani found that quite curious, but didn’t question it, too busy trying to find everything on her list.

 

After buying all their books, they headed down to Potage’s Cauldron Shop to get their cauldrons, Slug and Jiggers’ Apothecary to get their potion phials and scales, and Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment to get their telescopes, and Dani just let Rowan talk to her all throughout.Even though it was very much one-sided, Dani appreciated Rowan’s company, and the fact that she didn’t ask many questions of Dani, seemingly too focused on telling Dani everything she had learned of Hogwarts so far.Most people would have probably considered it rude, but Dani wanted to savour her anonymity as long as she could.

This all came to a screeching halt in Madam Malkins, where, as the two were standing on their separate pedestals getting their robes hemmed, Rowan turned to Dani and asked quite suddenly, “What’s your name, by the way?”

Dani immediately turned red.Rowan continued, “I’m sorry, I just realized, in all my excitement, I never even asked your name, which is…well, you’ve probably considered me rude all this time.”Rowan laughed nervously, her face a bit flushed as well.“So…what is your name?”

Dani knew, as much as she wanted to avoid it, doing so would just raise questions, so she forced herself to look at Rowan as she admitted, “I’m Dani Eisold.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Dani!” Rowan said, shocking Dani.Did Rowan not read the _Prophet_ or something?But just as Dani was wondering whether she should just ignore it, Rowan paused and said, “Wait…Eisold…I’ve heard that name somewhere before…does your family work at the Ministry?”

“Well, no,” Dani started.“It’s just…you’ve probably heard of my brother, Jacob…”

“Jacob?”Rowan asked, and Dani could see the exact moment when Rowan realized, as her already round eyes somehow widened even more behind her glasses.“Wait a minute, you mean Jacob _Eisold?_ The same Jacob Eisold who was expelled from Hogwarts for breaking school rules in search of the legendary Cursed Vaults?”Dani nodded solemnly.“Wow, that was a huge story in the _Daily Prophet_.Everyone at school will know about that!”

“Yes, I know,” Dani replied sadly.“They’re all going to think I’m weird, or cursed, or mad like my brother.”

“Why would people think you’re weird just because of your brother?” Rowan asked, looking genuinely bewildered at the concept.“It’s not like you _helped_ him or anything, you weren’t even there.”

“That doesn’t stop everyone else,” Dani said grimly.

Rowan was quiet for a while.The silence seemed to stretch forever, with just the rustle of fabric penetrating the silence, and just as Dani was preparing herself to expect Rowan to make up an excuse to walk the other way as soon as their robes were finished, Rowan spoke up again.

“I’ve never made any real friends before.I grew up on a tree farm that makes wood for wands and brooms, and I’ve always shut myself away in my room reading books all day long, since then I wouldn’t be made to work on the farm as much.And the few times I _have_ tried to make friends, other people have thought I’m too awkward and inattentive for them to deal with.”Rowan looked at Dani with her dark, intense eyes.“So if anyone’s the weird one, it’s me, not you.”

Dani didn’t know what to say.It had been a while since anyone had treated Dani like her own person, rather than like her brother.Even her parents treated her like her brother nowadays, always treading cautiously around her, as if she was going to be an inevitable nutcase as well.So for Rowan, almost a stranger, to just brush off the fact that she was related to a perceived lunatic?It was almost too much for Dani to handle.After willing her throat to unclog itself, Dani found her voice.“We could be friends…” Dani offered.When Rowan looked up at her in surprise, Dani quickly added, “If you want to, of course.”

“You don’t think I’m too weird?” Rowan asked, a strong hint of disbelief in her voice.

“Well, yes, you are a bit weird,” Dani admitted.Rowan wilted, but Dani continued, “but I’m weird, too, even if _you_ don’t think so.So…maybe we could be weird together?”

Rowan stared at Dani for a moment, as if analysing her, and just when Dani started to get a bit uncomfortable, Rowan broke into a wide grin.“Of course we can be weird together!I would love that!”

Dani smiled, feeling like a candle had just been lit inside her chest.Maybe she wouldn’t be alone at Hogwarts after all…

 

As they exited Madam Malkins, they made a few more stops, first at a clothing stall, at which Rowan had spotted a well-knit sweater that she insisted on getting (“I don’t want to get a cold and miss my classes!”), and then the Magical Menagerie, where Dani got a pretty orange cat which she named Felix, before finally stopping in front of the place Dani had been eagerly looking forward to the most: Ollivanders, the wand shop.From the look Dani saw on Rowan’s face as she gazed up at the building, it seemed Rowan had looked forward to this moment as well.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as Rowan and Dani stepped inside.The air was dusty, and almost claustrophic in its silence.A single spindly chair was set to the side, and the counter had a big, ancient-looking book laying open under a single, dimly lit lamp, but other than Dani and Rowan, the shop was completely empty.Dani gazed up at the rows upon rows of boxes stacked in the shelves above, each, she guessed, containing its own unique wand.She wondered which one would be hers…

“Good afternoon.”

Dani and Rowan jumped, Rowan almost knocking over the lamp with her head, as she had apparently been trying to read the open book on the counter upside down.From the shadows of the shelves emerged a man with silver hair and pale, moon-like eyes.

“Hello,” Dani greeted the man, as Rowan anxiously straightened the now crooked lamp.

“Ahh…” The man started, his gaze penetrating Dani especially.“I remember you, Miss Eisold.”

“You do?” Dani said, surprised and nervous.

“Yes, indeed,” Mr. Ollivander said, moving closer.Dani knew now that there existed a pair of eyes that were more intense than Rowan’s, as Mr. Ollivander’s eyes seemed unblinking in their dissection of her.“I remember every single wand I’ve ever sold, Miss Eisold, and you were here when Jacob Eisold received his first wand.Ten inches long, maplewood and dragon heartstring, whippy.A fine wand, and such a shame they snapped it in half when he was expelled.”

“Yes…” Dani said, looking away awkwardly.Rowan had backed away from the counter at this point and taken a seat in the spindly chair.She looked at Dani encouragingly.

“And now you are here for your first wand, hmm?” Dani looked back at Mr. Ollivander and nodded.He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket.“Well then, let’s get started, shall we?Which is your wand arm?”

“My right.”

“Hold out your arm, that’s it, let’s see here…”As the tape measure started to measure Dani’s arm from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, and around her head, Mr. Ollivander walked away and began rifling amongst the boxes and boxes of wands in his shelves, pausing at some, and, after a moment of thought, either shook his head and moved on, or pulled it down and set it at the counter, all the while whispering to himself.As the tape measure was measuring the width of Dani’s eyes, Mr. Olivander called softly, “That will do,” and the tape measure immediately crumpled up into a heap on the floor.“Right then, Miss Eisold, how about this one? Blackthorn and unicorn hair, twelve inches, somewhat swishy.Just give it a whirl, why don’t you?”

Dani took the wand from Mr. Ollivander and waved it around a bit, and the lamp on the counter, which had been so painstakingly righted before, suddenly shattered, prompting a yelp from Rowan and a shriek from Felix, who was in his cage by Rowan’s chair.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry, I —”

“No, no, not to worry,”Mr. Ollivander chuckled, taking the wand from Dani and retrieving another wand from the pile.“The wand chooses the wizard, as I always say, and that is clearly not the wand for you.How about this one, then?Hornbeam and dragon heartstring, eleven inches, inflexible, go ahead.”

Dani tentatively took this wand and did a bit of a twirl with it, causing the book in front of Ollivander to suddenly fly off the counter and catch fire.Rowan shrieked again.Ollivander calmly took his own wand and wordlessly shot a gush of water out of it, dowsing the flames and soaking the book entirely.Rowan whimpered, gazing mournfully at the ruined book.

“Definitely not that one,”Mr. Ollivander remarked.“Here, try this one.Applewood and dragon heartstring, nine inches, rigid.Give it a wave.”

“Are you sure?” Dani asked, as she set the hornbeam wand down and hesitantly took the one Mr. Ollivander offered.“I keep destroying your things.”

“Ah, happens all the time with wand-matching,” Mr. Ollivander said, smiling fondly.“I recall your brother exploded my favourite inkpot when he was trying out wands, don’t you remember?”

Dani did think she remembered, but she couldn’t help but think that setting what looked like an important book on fire was a just bit more damage than exploding an inkpot.Nevertheless, she did as Mr. Ollivander asked and swished the new wand around.Immediately, a bunch of papers flew around and did their best to attack Dani.As Dani was trying to bat away the papers, she heard Rowan giggle at her.Dani turned to give her a glare, but was immediately pelted in the face by another sheet, causing Rowan to laugh harder, snorting a bit.

“No, no, not that one.”Mr. Ollivander remarked cheerfully, taking the applewood wand away from Dani once the papers had settled, and handing her yet another wand.“Let’s see now, how about this one?Acacia and unicorn hair, twelve inches, pliable.Go on, then.”

As Dani took this wand, she felt a sudden tingling in her fingers that she hadn’t felt with the other wands.Sensing something different, she waved the wand, and saw a cascade of lights glimmer all around her, sweeping up her form.Rowan said, “Ooooh!” from the corner and clapped.

“Oh, well done!Splendid!There’s the one for you!” Mr. Ollivander cried.“Now then.”He turned to Rowan, who perked up under his gaze.“Let’s see the one for you, Miss Khanna.”

“You know me?” Rowan said, shocked. 

“I remember every single wand I’ve sold, Miss Khanna, remember, and I see your parents in you.And how could I not know the child of the witch and wizard who supply my wand wood, hmm?”

Rowan looked positively delighted.

 

After many mishaps involving incorrect wand matches, wand boxes flung here and there, and the amount of time Dani, Rowan, and Mr. Ollivander had to search for and retrieve Felix (one of Rowan’s mismatches had flung Felix’s cage across the room, the impact causing the door to crash open and Felix to flee into the shop, hissing in anger), Rowan found her match in a cedar wand with a unicorn hair core.Dani and Rowan each paid their seven Galleons for their wands and exited the shop, quite happy with their day’s efforts.To celebrate, they decided to go to Florean Fortescue’s to get some ice cream, so they could be together a little longer before Dani had to go and meet her parents back at the Leaky Cauldron.

“Hey, Dani?” Rowan asked suddenly, staring at her pistachio ice cream.“If someone at Hogwarts gives you trouble for your brother, and I’m around, what should I do?”

Dani thought for a moment, licked her mint chocolate ice cream pensively.“Well…I can stand up for myself, but I would definitely feel better knowing someone was on my side.”She smiled at Rowan.

Rowan grinned back, then pulled a face she obviously thought was serious and intimidating, but which caused Dani to almost snort into her ice cream.“Understood.If anyone attempts to besmirch your reputation, I’ll use my extensive vocabulary to verbally pummel them into submission.”

Dani then couldn’t hold it back, and did snort into her ice cream.Rowan looked quite insulted.“What?I’ll have you know those people who even attempt to blaspheme my friend will find themselves thoroughly emmasculated by my thesaurical jargon.”By the time she had finished her sentence, Rowan was giggling, too.

“I’m glad I met you, Rowan,” Dani chuckled.“It’ll be nice to see a friendly face at school, and especially one who knows Hogwarts so well already.”

Rowan beamed.“I’m glad I met you too, Dani!I’m looking forward to spending more time with you at Hogwarts.”

Dani and Rowan finished their ice creams, and Rowan, when the two were saying their farewells, lurched forward and gave Dani a tight hug.Dani, though startled, reciprocated gladly.As Dani waved goodbye to Rowan through the narrowing brick wall entrance to the back alley of the Leaky Cauldron, she thought that, whatever was coming her way at Hogwarts, as long as she had Rowan, she would be fine.


	2. The Sorting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorting chapter! Lions and badgers and snakes, oh my!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Which House will Dani be sorted into? Guess you'll have to read and find out, huh?
> 
> Also, I'm not a big fan of writing poetry, especially with rhyme schemes. So, you can guess how I felt when writing the Sorting Hat's song xD J.K doesn't even have consistency in length or syllables per line, btw, so I had to play it by ear (quite literally). Hope it passes the test!

“The train’s slowing down,” Rowan said.“We must be getting close to Hogsmeade!”

Dani looked up suddenly, the chocolate frog in her hands spotting its chance for freedom and squirming out of her grasp.She got up to look out the window with Rowan, noticing how the dark trees speeding by in the night did seem to be slowing down.They were getting close to Hogsmeade Station.It still didn’t seem real to Dani, that she was going to Hogwarts.It hadn’t seemed fully real when she had run through the brick wall between platforms nine and ten at King’s Cross Station, and emerged to a slightly smoky and very crowded Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, full of bustling students and parents, hooting owls, meowing cats, and croaking toads.It definitely hadn’t seemed real when she had bid her parents one final, slightly stiff goodbye, and she had seen the worry shadowing their faces as they set Jacob’s sister on her own Hogwarts adventure.Not long after, she had met up with Rowan again, and chosen a compartment with her, and as they had whiled away the hours on the train talking about their excitement for Hogwarts over Bertie Botts’ Every Flavour Beans and Cauldron Cakes, Dani’s nerves had faded a bit.But as she saw how close they really were getting to Hogwarts, she felt her old anxiety rear its head inside her once more.

The train finally came to a complete stop at a lamp-lit brick platform.The words _Hogsmeade Station_ were printed in bold letters on a sign built into the brick wall lining the platform.Dani couldn’t see the castle from where she sat staring out the window, no matter how hard she strained.

“Attention, all students,” a voice echoed through the train.“We have reached Hogsmeade Station.Please exit the train, and leave your luggage onboard.It will be taken to the school separately.”

Dani exchanged a look with Rowan.Rowan looked like she might explode with glee, her face having turned very dark.Dani wished she could share Rowan’s uninhibited excitement.Unlike Rowan, who was coming to Hogwarts fresh and anonymous, Dani knew that from the minute she stepped into the school and people learned her name, she would have a reputation, and not a very good one.

Despite this, she knew she would have to get off the train sooner or later, or she could kiss Rowan goodbye as she stayed frozen on the train, the Hogwarts Express eventually traveling back to London.So, swallowing down her frozen insides, she accompanied Rowan in packing up their stuff and the remainder of their sweets, and joining the gathering students in exiting the train.People pushed their way out the door and onto the cobbled brick of Hogsmeade Station.As Dani and Rowan stood shivering in the chilly night air, they heard a gruff voice boom: “Firs’ years!Firs’ years over this way!”

The voice was coming from a very large and very hairy man carrying a lamp over all the students’ heads.He was so big that Dani was sure he towered over many adults, with hands that could crush hers and Rowan’s heads, and had a very large beard and mustache, above which two beetle-black eyes glimmered.Rowan squeaked with alarm, and Dani noticed that much of her excitement from before had been shadowed by more than a hint of fear.Rowan wasn’t the only one, either.Many of the students seemed a bit apprehensive of this giant of a man giving them orders, and one in particular, a boy with copper hair, was trembling quite fiercely.

The man seemed to notice this, and gave them all a friendly smile underneath his large beard and mustache, his eyes twinkling. “Come on now, I don’t bite!I know I’m a tad bigger than most, but I won’t hurt yeh!I jes’ wanna escort yeh all ter Hogwarts, so yeh can get sorted.Yeh all want ter get sorted, so yeh can start yer firs’ term at Hogwarts, don’t yeh?”

Some students nodded, though didn’t lose much of their apprehension.The man beamed.

“Alrigh’ then, follow me!We’ll jus’ be goin’ a more scenic route ter Hogwarts, so yeh can get yer first view o’ the castle.Very pretty at night.Come along now, this way!”

The man gestured with his lamp, which looked more like a toy in his large grip, and started walking into the darkness ahead.Many students were still nervous, but it seemed their need to not get lost in the darkness was more prompting than their apprehension of the giant man, as most of them started to walk forward.The copper-haired boy had to be nudged forward a little more forcefully, since his quaking knees seemed to be impairing his ability to walk.

“Mind yer step, now! Is a bit steep here!” The man called.Dani and the other students followed the giant down a dark, narrow path, with large, thick trees flanking them on both sides of the path.It was all but silent, save for the occasional whimpers of the copper-haired boy.

“Yeh’ll see the castle in jus’ a sec, now,” the giant called over his shoulder.“Jus’ round this bend here.”

Rowan and Dani gasped in awe, and there were many “Oooohs” and “Wows.”Beyond the path of dark trees opened a view of a large black lake.The lake shimmered with the lights of the castle perched atop the high mountain on the other side, the silhouette of its many turrets and towers just visible against the backdrop of the starry night sky.

“No more’n four to a boat!” The man called, pointing to a group of little boats floating in the water by the shore.Dani and Rowan chose a boat, followed by the copper-haired boy and a blonde-haired girl with a number of plaits in her hair.

“Alrigh’, everyone in?” the man called, who had chosen a boat for himself.“Good!FORWARD!”

The fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the silent black lake.The copper-haired boy yipped slightly, and Rowan, distracted from her staring up at the castle in awe, glanced at him a bit miffed.He looked quite scared.Dani gazed at him with a bit of pity. 

“By the way,” the giant called again, his voice a bit quieter now that he was at the back of the group.“Forgot teh introduce meself.Rubeus Hagrid, but I jus’ go by Hagrid mos’ times.I’m the Gamekeeper o’ Hogwarts.Pleased ter meet all o’ yeh.”

A few students greeted him back, but other than them, most were silent as they gazed at Hogwarts looming above them.

“Heads down, now,” Hagrid instructed, as they neared the cliff of the castle.All the students bent their heads down as the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy, which hid a wide opening in the cliff face.The first years, with Hagrid in the rear, were guided through a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them underneath the castle itself, until they reached an underground harbour, where they all landed onto a surface of rocks and pebbles.

“Everyone alright?” Hagrid checked, and most of the students nodded.Most had seemed to have relaxed, since they now knew the giant’s name, and that he was concerned over their safety.Only the copper-haired boy seemed to still be nervous.“Alright then,” Hagrid said.“This way, now.”

Hagrid led the students up a passageway in the rock, which transitioned into smooth, damp grass right in front of the castle.He raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the door, which swung open almost at once.A tall, black-haired witch in emerald green robes stood there, her face giving Dani the impression of quite a stern woman.

“Here are the firs’ years, Professor McGonagall,” Hagrid said, gesturing to the students behind him.

“Thank you, Hagrid.I will take them from here.”Professor McGonagall pulled the door open wide, revealing a gigantic Entrance Hall, lit by flickering torches embedded in the stone walls.The ceiling itself was too high to fully see, and a magnificent marble staircase in the center led to the upper floors.Rowan’s eyes looked like they might pop out of her skull as she gazed around at everything.Professor McGonagall led the way across the stone floor of the Entrance Hall.Hundreds of voices were emanating from a large doorway to the right, which Dani guessed was the rest of the school waiting for them.Rather than going towards the large doors, however, Professor McGonagall led the first years to the side of them, and turned to face them.Quite a few of the students looked up at Professor McGonagall’s face nervously.

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” said Professor McGonagall.“The start-of-term banquet will begin very soon, but first you must be sorted into your houses.The Sorting Ceremony is quite an important event because, while you attend Hogwarts, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts.You will have classes with the rest of your housemates, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

“The four houses are Gryffindor, the brave and chivalrous; Hufflepuff, the kind and diligent; Ravenclaw, the witty and creative; and Slytherin, the cunning and ambitious.Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards.While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose points.At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the House Cup, a great honour.I hope you all will be fine additions to the house you become part of.

“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school in the Great Hall.I suggest you all smarten yourselves up while you wait.I shall return when we are ready for you.Please wait quietly.”

She turned and entered the Great Hall, producing a swell in the noise for a brief moment, before the doors closed behind her.Dani looked at Rowan nervously.

“How do they sort us into houses?” she asked Rowan.

“If I remember correctly from _Hogwarts: A History_ , there’s a being called the Sorting Hat that was enchanted by the four Hogwarts founders,” Rowan recited, her hand on her chin thoughtfully.“It’s intelligent enough to look into students’ heads and figure out where they belong.”

Dani felt herself go cold.The hat would look into people’s heads?Then that meant the hat would immediately figure out Dani was Jacob Eisold’s sister.She had wanted to stay inconspicuous for as long as she could, but that would be impossible with the Sorting Hat involved.Not only that, but what if the hat was judgmental of her being Jacob’s sister?She knew she would probably be judged by the rest of the students, and maybe even the teachers, but a hat?This was too much.She glanced around at the other students, and noticed that they all looked a bit nervous as well.The copper-haired kid looked like he might be on the verge of fainting, looking at the floor with frozen, bulging eyes.

Then he actually did faint, as, without any warning, dozens of ghosts suddenly streamed through the wall beside them.Pearly white, slightly transparent, and in all different shapes and sizes, they glided across the room above their heads, talking to each other.

“Oh my goodness!” Rowan exclaimed.

This caught the attention of the ghosts, and they only seemed to just notice the quailing students beneath them.One ghost in particular, a man with blank silver eyes and a blood-soaked front, leered at them in an intimidating fashion.Another ghost, a fat monk, beamed happily at them.

“Ah, new students!” he exclaimed.“About to be sorted, I suppose?”

A few students nodded quietly, while two other students tried to resuscitate the unconscious copper-haired boy.

“Oh dear,” another ghost, one with a ruff and tights on, remarked worriedly.“Is he alright?”

“Well, he looks a bit pale, but he’s not ready to join our ranks just yet,” the fat monk chuckled.“He’ll be just fine!”

“Alright, move along,” a sharp voice said.“The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin.”

Professor McGonagall had returned, and she shooed away the ghosts as they drifted back into the Great Hall.She then turned to the students, and noticed the copper-haired boy unconscious on the ground.Her mouth thinned slightly, and without a word she withdrew her wand from inside her robes and pointed it at the boy.

“ _Rennervate_ ,” she stated simply.

The boy gasped and woke up quite suddenly, looked around frantically, and then noticed Professor McGonagall’s stern gaze on him and froze.

“You’re alright, up you get,” Professor McGonagall ordered him.He scrambled to his feet without a word, standing as though a long pole had been attached to his spine.“Anyone else about to pass out?”The rest of the students shook their heads.Dani had a feeling that, even if anyone else felt on the verge of fainting, they wouldn’t say so in the face of Professor McGonagall’s stare.

“Now, form a line,” Professor McGonagall instructed.“And follow me.”

Dani, shaking slightly, got in line behind Rowan and in front of a girl with shaggy brown hair, and they all walked in order into the Great Hall beyond the large double doors.

The Great Hall was not misnamed.Below a ceiling that seemed to open up into the heavens above, the gigantic hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles floating in mid-air over four long tables, where the rest of the castle was sitting.Dotted amongst the students like stars, Dani spotted some ghosts sitting alongside them, shimmering misty silver.The tables were laid with empty golden plates and goblets.At the front of the Hall was another long table perpendicular to the four other tables, where the teachers were sitting.Professor McGonagall led the first years down the center aisle toward the teacher’s table, in front of which sat a single stool, looking misplaced in its plainness.On top of the stool sat a pointed wizard’s hat, which looked ancient and worn, frayed at the ends and with numerous patches.Dani wondered if this might be the Sorting Hat.

There were a few seconds of silence as Professor McGonagall stood poised next to the hat, and the rest of the students stared.Then, the hat twitched, and a rip near the brim opened like a mouth, and the hat began to sing:

 

_Way back a thousand years or so,_

_When I was just a hat,_

_There lived four wizards of great skill_

_Who sought to make a pact._

 

_Together, they decided to_

_Build a grand new school,_

_Where young wizards of all kinds_

_Could come and learn their full._

 

_Brave Gryffindor, with his bold heart,_

_Took those he saw had daring,_

_For he loved those who would stand up_

_‘Gainst the worst of danger’s glaring._

 

_Sweet Hufflepuff, with her kind soul,_

_Brought those under her wing_

_Whom she believed would stay loyal_

_Even in times most trying._

 

_Wise Ravenclaw, with her sharp mind,_

_Picked those who had good brains._

_Those with ideas in their heads_

_Had everything to gain._

 

_And shrewd Slytherin, with keen eyes_

_Sought those with true ambition._

_He knew those with will enough_

_Could see anything to fruition._

 

_But as the founders picked and chose_

_The students they would teach,_

_They thought of those they’d never see;_

_How would they find their niche?_

 

_The solution came to Gryffindor,_

_As he swung me off his head._

_‘Let us enchant this hat,’ he cried,_

_‘So it may choose instead!’_

 

_And so I came to be the judge_

_Of where Hogwarts students fit._

_Your destined house, I will decide,_

_As on your head I sit._

 

_But there’s no need to be afraid,_

_No need to feel unease._

_I am the smartest cap you’ll find,_

_And trust that I don’t tease!_

 

_So try me on, no need to worry!_

_I haven’t yet been wrong!_

_I will see your greatest promise,_

_And tell you where you belong!_

 

The whole Hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song.It bowed to each of the four tables, and then fell silent, as still as it had been when the first years had arrived.

Professor McGonagall then stepped forward, and pulled out a long scroll of parchment.

“When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,” she stated.“Copper, Ben.”

The nervous copper-haired boy squeaked in alarm, looking to be in danger of passing out again.Dani heard a derisive snort behind her from the girl with shaggy brown hair, and turned to see her rolling her eyes.Dani narrowed her eyes at her, a little irritated at this girl’s impatience.A nearby student with bright pink bubblegum hair nudged Ben forward, giving him an encouraging smile as he turned back to look at her.Ben stared at the rest of the students with a pleading look on his face, before he was nudged forward again by a red-haired boy with freckles, and he walked stiffly toward the hat.He looked at Professor McGonagall one last time, who met his frightened expression with her own stern one, and then picked up the hat with trembling hands and sat down on the stool, putting the hat on, which fell down over his eyes.There was a few moments’ pause, and then suddenly —

“GRYFFINDOR!” shouted the hat.

The table on the far right cheered and clapped as Ben took off the hat and scuttled off to sit at the Gryffindor table.The ghost in the ruff and tights beckoned him over with a smile, but Ben seemed uncomfortable with this, and sat a ways away from him.

“Egwu, Andre.”

A black boy with a purple and gold scarf around his neck strode forward and placed the hat upon his head.

“RAVENCLAW!”

This time, the table second from the left applauded, as Andre strode forward and took his place with his fellow Ravenclaws.

“Eisold, Daniella.”

Dani cringed.So soon?She walked forward, noticing students and teachers already whispering to each other.

“Eisold? Did I hear that right?”

“You mean _that_ Jacob’s—?”

“I didn’t know he had a sister…”

“Let’s just hope she doesn’t end up in _our_ house…”

Dani picked up the hat from the stool, noticing an unreadable expression had crossed Professor McGonagall’s face.She sat on the stool, and was greeted with the uncomfortable sight of the entire Great Hall staring at her and whispering to each other, before the hat fell over her eyes, and all she saw was darkness.

There were a few seconds of silence.What was she supposed to do?Just sit here, and wait for the hat to read all of her secrets, all of her shames, before it placed her in the worst house?

“Hmmm…well, I wouldn’t say there’s a _worst_ house among them…” a voice suddenly murmured in her ear.Dani almost jumped off her stool.The hat was talking to her.“I’m seeing a good degree of talent inside you.Any house would want you, I’m sure.”

_I’m not sure about that…_ Dani thought. _I_ am _Jacob Eisold’s sibling, after all…_

“Yes, indeed you are,” the hat whispered in her ear.“He was quite talented as well, very well-rounded, and quite difficult for me to place.Your talents and promise are as unique as your brother’s, it seems…”

Dani felt a swell of pride at that.Yes, Jacob had caused a fair share of scandal in the Eisold house, but she had never stopped loving him, and looking up to him as an older brother.Before he was expelled, she remembered her parents boasting about him to the neighbors quite a lot.She had always felt a mixture of awe and jealousy of him, and she supposed, even now, she still did.

“You’re very loyal to your brother, it seems…” the hat muttered.“I could place you in Hufflepuff…but you also have a great amount of daring, a lot of cunning and some ambition you seem a bit unsure you really have…and ooh, quite a good mind, Ravenclaw would not be a bad fit for you, either…”

Dani remembered her brother having been in Ravenclaw himself, back when he had first gone to Hogwarts.It was the wise house, that was what Professor McGonagall had said, right?Dani did consider herself quite smart amongst her peers.It would probably be nice, being a Ravenclaw…

“Well, it seems you may have made my choice for me,” the hat chuckled softly. 

Dani felt a rush of embarrassment.Who was she to decide which house was hers?That was the hat’s job, being a self-proclaimed “judge” and all.

“No need to feel bad about it,” the hat assured her softly.“I do, on very rare occasions, take requests.You’re quite humble, for a RAVENCLAW!”

Dani heard the hat proclaim the last word to the entire hall, and heard applause follow.She took off the hat, and walked over to where Andre Egwu had gone.She went to sit down opposite the ghost sitting at the table, a lady in a very old-fashioned dress, who gave her a nod of appreciation.Well, at least the dead weren’t biased…

After Dani followed, “Penny Haywood,” who was the blonde plaited girl whom Dani had shared her boat with besides Rowan and Ben.The hat took about as long deciding with her as it had with Ben Copper, but Penny was eventually made a “HUFFLEPUFF!”The table second from the left cheered as Penny went over to sit with them, her long, braided blonde hair swaying gracefully as she walked.

“Karasu, Tulip,” a smirking girl with bright red dyed hair, was made a Ravenclaw as well, and she went to sit nearby Dani, catching her eye and giving her a mischievous grin.

“Khanna, Rowan.”

Rowan, Dani noticed, was trembling as she went up to place the hat upon her head.But she didn’t have very long to wait for the hat to make its answer.The hat had only touched the top of her head with its brim when it shouted out, “RAVENCLAW!”Rowan rushed forward, almost knocking the stool over in her excitement (Professor McGonagall steadied it with an unchanged expression) as she took her place right next to Dani.

“I’m a Ravenclaw!” Rowan whispered excitedly.“Oh my goodness, I thought I would be, but I didn’t want to presume, you know?Oh my gosh, this is so exciting!”

An older boy with high cheekbones hushed her, and Rowan fell silent as “Lee, Barnaby,” a boy with an angular face and tufty brown hair was made the first “SLYTHERIN!”, and went to join the table on the far left, which was cheering quite ferociously.

“Murk, Ismelda,” a quite mean-looking girl with black hair over her right eye, went to join Barnaby right after, as the hat treated his choice for her quite like he had treated his choice for Rowan, barely touching her head before he shouted out his judgment.“Snyde, Merula,” the shaggy brown-haired girl Dani had been standing in front of in line, joined her not long afterwards, and Dani noticed she also had a blonde streak in her bangs, as well as quite heavy eye shadow for an eleven-year old.

“Tonks, Nymphadora,” the girl with the bubblegum pink hair, actually knocked over the stool upon which the Sorting Hat was placed when she came up to be sorted, and as she was made a Hufflepuff, she knocked it over again and tripped on her way to the Hufflepuff table, which was interspersed with laughter as well as cheering.Nymphadora sat down, quite red in the face, giving everyone a sheepish smile as Professor McGonagall huffed and straightened the stool once more.

And finally, “Weasley, Charlie,” the boy with red hair and freckles, was sorted quite promptly into Gryffindor, and as he went to sit down, Dani noticed another older boy, with similar long red hair, clapping him on the back and giving him a proud smile.And with that, Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll, picked up the hat and stool, and walked away to place them somewhere safe.

Then, an old man with a long silver beard down to his waist stood up, his purple and gold robes shimmering regally.Rowan gasped excitedly.

“That’s him!” she whispered emphatically, her face turning dark.“That’s Professor Dumbledore!”

The boy from before shushed her again, and Professor Dumbledore, having walked up to the stand decorated like an owl with spread wings in front of the teachers’ table, raised his arms and smiled gently at the Hall.

“Welcome!” he cried in a soft voice.“Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!The past few years have seen a great weight lifted from our shoulders.Four years ago, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, survived Voldemort’s attack against him and his parents, and Voldemort is now vanquished.”

The hall cheered at this, with Rowan whispering in awe, “I can’t believe he’s brave enough to say You Know Who’s name!He truly is amazing, isn’t he?”

“Harry Potter now lives safely at his aunt and uncle’s, and will continue to do so until, years from now, he is ready to begin his own Hogwarts journey.”Professor Dumbledore smiled, his ice-blue gaze becoming a bit more intense above his smile as he stared down at the Hall.“But now, it is your turn.I hope you all enjoy another year at Hogwarts, and for our first-years, your very first.For now, however, our bellies need filling. So…enjoy!” 

At his last words, the empty golden goblets and plates suddenly filled with a great feast of food.Big, juicy-looking turkeys and chickens, large bowls filled with mashed potatoes and steaming soups, steak and kidney pies, chips, treacle tarts, pudding, and more that Dani could hardly process.Suddenly, even though she and Rowan had eaten what must have been their weight in candy on the train, she had never felt hungrier.Dani tried to take a bit of everything, as the tables around them began to eat and talk.

Dani, as she was eating a turkey leg, felt a pair of eyes on her, and looked up to see the ghost in the old-fashioned dress staring at her.She was completely silent, but her eyes were penetrating in their gaze as she took in Dani.Dani felt her old subconsciousness rise up again, but swallowed it down along with her bite of turkey and decided she probably had nothing to lose in confronting a ghost.

“Hello,” she greeted politely.Rowan looked up from her chips, and met the ghost’s gaze as well.“What’s your name?”

The ghost paused for a moment, then answered in a quiet murmur that was almost hard to pick out amongst the chatter of the students around them, “They call me the Grey Lady.”

“The Grey Lady is our House’s ghost,” the boy who had shushed Rowan before spoke up.“Every house has a house ghost, you see.”

“Oh yes, I know,” Rowan replied.“ _Hogwarts: A History_ says that Hogwarts Castle is the most haunted establishment in Great Britain.And that each house has its own house ghost, the Grey Lady being ours.The Bloody Baron is Slytherin’s,” she gestured at the ghost with the blank silver eyes and stained front at the Slytherin table, “the Fat Friar is Hufflepuff’s,” she gestured at the fat monk ghost, who was talking happily with Penny Haywood at the Hufflepuff table, “and Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington is Gryffindor’s, though most call him Nearly Headless Nick,” she gestured at the ghost in the ruff and tights who had tried to invite Ben to sit near him.Dani noticed Ben kept throwing uncomfortable glances at him as he ate his chips.

“ _Nearly_ headless?” Dani asked, bewildered.“How can someone be _nearly_ headless?”

“Someone apparently tried to behead him back in the day, and didn’t get the job done cleanly,” the boy replied.“Sometimes, he swings his head off his neck on request.”Rowan looked quite disturbed at this, and Dani felt like her own expression wasn’t too far off.“So,” the boy continued, looking at Rowan.“You’ve read _Hogwarts: A History_ ,” have you?Good on you for reading up on the place before you attended.No wonder the hat didn’t hesitate to put you in Ravenclaw.”Rowan beamed at this, her face flushing dark with pride.“I’m Chester Davies, by the way,” the boy continued, holding out his hand for both of them to shake.“I’m one of the House Prefects.It’s up to me to keep the house in line, and help first years like you find your way.And I suppose you must be Daniella Eisold, correct?”He stared at Dani, and Dani flushed in embarrassment.“I’ll be keeping my eye on you, alright?”Dani nodded, keeping her head down.Rowan looked like she wanted to say something, glancing between Dani and Chester, but apparently decided against it, going back to eating her meal.

“Your brother was a good boy,” a soft voice murmured, and Dani looked up in shock to see the Grey Lady staring at her again.“He was smart, and quite capable.A worthy Ravenclaw.”

Dani, Rowan, and Chester all looked at the Grey Lady in astonishment, Chester looking like he almost wanted to object, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted as a glass was clinked rhythmically from the teacher’s table.

“The feast has ended,” Professor McGonagall announced.“All students will now follow their prefects to their dormitories for the night.”

“Alright then, come on,” Chester said, standing up and calling to the Ravenclaws, “First years, follow me!”

Dani, Rowan, and the rest of the Ravenclaw table stood up and followed Chester and the female Prefect to the Ravenclaw dorm.Chester led the first years up the grand marble staircase in the Entrance Hall, through a door into a tall tower full of constantly moving staircases, past paintings who whispered, pointed, and waved as they passed, all the way up countless stairs, until they reached the top floor and turned down a corridor, where they eventually stopped in front of a wooden door that possessed no handle or keyhole.A bronze, eagle-shaped door knocker was the only sign that it was actually a door, and not just a piece of wall that stood out from the rest.

The female Prefect walked up to the door and knocked once. The eagle’s beak opened, and a melodic voice asked, “Does a set that contains all sets contain itself?”

“The Ravenclaw Common room doesn’t have a changing password, like some of the other house common rooms,” Chester explained.“Instead, it asks a question that must be correctly answered before the door opens.It will not be an uncommon sight for you to come up to the common room and see a few students waiting outside the door, trying to figure out the answer.It’s a good learning exercise, and a good way to meet some of your fellow Ravenclaws.” Chester smiled.“That being said, does anyone here think they know the answer?”

There were a few moments of silence as the students mumbled amongst each other, and tried to look anywhere but at Chester or the other Prefect.After a bit, Rowan tentatively raised her hand.Chester nodded at her.

“Um…I think the set that contains all sets contains itself as the set that contains all sets,” Rowan said shakily.“The set itself can be part of the set, can’t it?It’s a category and a subcategory all at once.”

“Very interesting answer, and nicely put,” the knocker said, and as the eagle’s beak closed, the door swung open.

“Well done!” Chester praised.“That was a hard question, too!”Rowan beamed, and walked inside with the rest of the Ravenclaws.

The Ravenclaw Common Room was a wide, circular room with blue and bronze furniture and silk drapes hanging from the walls.Elegant arched windows provided what would probably, during the day, be a spectacular view of the grounds and nearby mountains, and the domed ceiling was painted with stars and etched constellations, which were mirrored in the midnight-blue carpet.Tables, chairs, and bookcases dotted the room, and in a niche opposite the door stood a tall marble statue of a regal-looking woman with a tiara placed atop her head.

“Alright, first day of studies tomorrow,” the female prefect stated, clapping her hands together.“You all should get to bed early, so your brains can be nice and prepared in the morning.Boys’ dormitories up the left staircase, girls’ dormitories up the right.”

Dani and Rowan followed the girls up the right staircase, yawning with sleepiness.

“Can you believe we’re actually here?” Rowan asked, her perpetually excited attitude countering the sleepiness she probably felt.“And we’re both in Ravenclaw, too!Do you want to hear an exhaustive history of our house, including a comprehensive biography of our house founder?”

“Maybe tomorrow, Rowan,” Dani replied through a yawn.“For now, let’s just get to bed, okay?”

“Yeah, you’re right, Dani,” Rowan said.“Don’t want to be too tired to pay attention in class tomorrow, right?”

They entered the dorm of the first-year girls, and found five four-poster beds waiting for them, their blue sheets and covers still warm from being washed, and their luggage placed in front of their beds.Dani let Felix out of his carrier to stretch and plop himself down at the foot of her bed, purring in contentment, and, after disrobing and finding her pajamas in her trunk, promptly plopped down onto the bed, and within five minutes had fallen asleep.


	3. Merula Snyde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because everyone knows that when you go to a school where everyone already treats you like the plague, you need a rival to balance things out, right? ...Right?

The next morning, Dani and Rowan met down in the Great Hall for breakfast, as well as to receive their schedules, which were passed out by each table’s Head of House.Professor Flitwick, a very tiny wizard with a white beard and mustache, was Ravenclaw’s Head of House, and since he only came up to the shortest first-year’s waist, a path was cleared across the Ravenclaw Table as he walked upon it, distributing each student their schedules for the term across plates of pancakes and sausages.Some students, especially first years, giggled at this sight, since the other Heads of Houses just used the aisles between tables.Professor Flitwick responded to this by smiling at them cheerily, and once he went on his way, the student’s silverware would suddenly misbehave for a moment, a fork or knife poking them in the cheek, or a spoon smearing jam or porridge on their face.Professor Flitwick would give no signs of noticing this happen.

“So, what’s your schedule like, Dani?” Rowan asked, reading over hers.

“I’ve got double Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology on Mondays, Charms and Herbology again on Tuesdays, Herbology _again_ and Astronomy at midnight on Wednesdays, History of Magic, Charms again, and Transfiguration on Thursdays, and double Potions on Fridays.” Dani recited.

“Same here!” Rowan said giddly, pointing at her schedule.

“Well, yeah,” Dani chuckled.“We’re both in Ravenclaw, and Professor McGonagall said we’d share classes together.”

“Well, yes, you’re right,” Rowan said sheepishly, “but I didn’t know she meant every class!This is so exciting!We can basically hang out all the time!”

“Yeah, that’s pretty great…” Dani replied, her smile a tiny bit forced.Don’t get her wrong, Rowan was a great friend, Dani just thought she could get a little clingy and overly affectionate sometimes, if the time she had spent with her already painted a good enough picture.Dani knew this was probably because Rowan had not had many friends before coming to Hogwarts, as she had hinted before.She hoped Rowan may calm down a bit as time went on, as she got used to having a friend in Dani.For now, though, Dani could handle it.

“I still can’t fully believe we’re at Hogwarts, can you?” Rowan piped up, her eyes twinkling ferociously.“It’s even better than I ever imagined it would be, and I’ve been imagining it for quite a long time.”

“Yeah, it is pretty great here, isn’t it?” Dani chuckled at Rowan’s enthusiasm.“I can’t believe I got put into the same house as my brother.”

“Jacob was a Ravenclaw?” Rowan gasped.“Wow, that’s fantastic!”

“Fantastic?” a voice further down the table snorted.Dani and Rowan turned to see the speaker, an older boy with dark skin and a scornful look on his face.“Try an embarrassment.”

“Excuse me?” Dani asked, feeling like ice was starting to spread through her body.

“Your brother already caused enough damage to Ravenclaw’s reputation before he was rightfully expelled,” the boy sneered.“I can’t believe they even let you in here, after he turned out to be such a mental case.”

“Dani will be an outstanding Ravenclaw!” Rowan burst out.Dani looked in shock at her friend, whose face was dark with indignance.“I’m assuming you _aren’t_ , given that you’re spending your time bullying first-years!”

“Whatever,” the boy scoffed dismissively.“We’ll see just how long it takes before she ruins the school even more than her brother did.”He turned back to his waffles, shooting one last disgusted glance at Dani and Rowan.

Rowan relaxed slightly, but as she met Dani’s wide eyes, she hunched over, her head down.“Sorry…” she mumbled.

“For what?” Dani asked, surprised.

“Well, you said I should follow your lead back in Diagon Alley,” Rowan said.“Whenever anyone brings up your brother.And I-I did, back when Prefect Chester was accusing you.But…I just can’t stand anyone talking to my friend like that.I just…snapped.I’m sorry…”She nudged her sausages guiltily with her fork.From the way Rowan was acting, Dani would have thought Rowan had dropped a heavy book on Felix’s leg.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for!” Dani laughed.Rowan looked up above the rim of her glasses.“You defended me.There’s nothing wrong about that.In fact, I’m really grateful that you did.It’s really nice to have someone on your side when it seems like everyone else already hates you.” Dani smiled grimly.

“People shouldn’t hate you for something your brother did,” Rowan said firmly. Dani thought Rowan sent a sharp glance towards the boy as she said this.“Just because he’s your brother doesn’t mean you’re to blame for anything.People should be judged for things they _themselves_ did, not something someone close to them did.”

“Thank you, Rowan,” Dani said.“You’re a good friend.I just wish other people thought like you.”Rowan smiled warmly.

Yeah, Dani could definitely handle Rowan.

 

Hogwarts castle was like a labyrinth to Dani and Rowan.One hundred and forty-two moving staircases of varying size, stability, and capriciousness, doors that had specific qualifications to enter, like asking politely or tickling them in just the right place, or even walls just pretending to be doors to confuse students and teachers alike, and what seemed to be a constantly moving floormap, could make even the most seasoned students and teachers confused, and could be a nightmare for first year students to traverse in order to get to class on time.Not only that, but Ravenclaws in particular had to be especially careful about taking all the stuff they would need for the day as they exited the common room, since it could be extremely hard to get back in if a particularly hard question was being posed by the door knocker upon their return.Rowan had some trouble learning this lesson, as she ended up ill-prepared for some classes later in the day as she realized she had forgotten something, and would spend the next half hour outside the Ravenclaw common room trying to figure out the answer to the question, “When is 99 more than 100?” (only the Ravenclaws with Muggle parents could answer this, as they were the only ones who had used a microwave before)

Dani did notice that many of the students in the castle were suspicious of her, since, when she and Rowan walked down a hallway together or entered a classroom, nearby students would immediately hush and start whispering to themselves.Many of them would stare at her, and some would even edge away from her if she sat nearby, as if being related to Jacob were akin to having the flu and they were worried they would catch expulsion from her.Dani did her best to focus on her classes anyways, which proved a difficult task at times, depending on which teacher she had.The Herbology teacher, Professor Sprout, treated her neutrally enough, but the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was apparently the type to make his students learn by reading the books they had been given.Thankfully, with Rowan by her side, Dani still learned how to cast red and green sparks, but she wondered why a teacher would choose to be a teacher if he would rely entirely on the books to teach them.

The first truly positive experience Dani had in her classes was her first Charms lesson, taught by Professor Flitwick.As she and Rowan entered the classroom, Dani thought she should try to make a good impression to Professor Flitwick, seeing as he was her Head of House as well as the Charms teacher.So, as Rowan went to find both of them a seat, Dani strode up to Professor Flitwick, who was standing on a pile of thick books atop his desk at the head of the classroom.

“Pleased to meet you, Professor Flitwick,” Dani greeted politely.“I’m really looking forward to learning Charms.”

“Ah, you must be Miss Eisold,” Professor Flitwick squeaked, smiling amicably.“I can see your brother in you.If you’re anything like him, you will do just fine in this class!He was one of my more skilled students when it came to charmwork.”As Dani started to smile, Professor Flitwick paused for a moment, his own smile faltering slightly.“That being said, he was also one of my more rebellious students, and we both know how that ended.”He chuckled nervously, and Dani grimaced.“So, Miss Eisold…” Professor Flitwick’s expression became serious.“Are you going to follow the rules, so you can make the most of your time here at Hogwarts?”

Dani pondered this question for a bit.Ideally, yes, she would do her best to follow the rules, but she wondered, if she answered yes, whether that would be fully honest of her.Who knows what could happen while she was here at Hogwarts, after all?From the stories she had heard, she may need to break a few rules just to survive…

She decided she would go for a neutral answer.“I’ll do my best to follow the rules, but I can’t promise anything, Professor.”

Professor Flitwick did not seem fully satisfied with this answer, but his smile was still friendly as he said, “Very well, Miss Eisold.Please have a seat.Class is about to begin.”

As Dani took her seat next to Rowan, Professor Flitwick clapped two times at a surprisingly loud volume for such a small person, gaining everyone’s attention.“Good morning, students, and welcome to your very first Charms lesson!I will be your instructor, Professor Flitwick.Now, Charms may seem soft or lighter compared to some other forms of magic you may learn here, such as Potions or Transfiguration, and in some ways you are correct!Charms can be quite fun and free-minded, if you pronounce the words correctly and move your wand just right.However, like other forms of magic, charmwork can have disastrous consequences if done incorrectly.For example, take the wizard Baruffio, who said ’s’ instead of ‘f’ and ended up on the floor with a buffalo on his chest.”Many students laughed at this.“Yes, it does sound quite funny in hindsight, but at the time, it was quite painful and unfortunate.”Professor Flitwick smiled cheerily.“However, do not let this discourage you.Charms is a place to have fun and relax while we learn, and we will be learning the basics before we try anything that could result in injury.For example, take today’s lesson.”He waved his wand, and the tip lit up with a bright, glowing light.“Today, you will be learning the Wand-Lighting Charm, _Lumos._ This spell is useful in many kinds of circumstances, whether you find yourself in a shadowy room and need to search for possible dangers, or you are just trying to find a scroll that has rolled under the sofa.You could say casting the _Lumos_ spell is quite an enlightening experience.” He chuckled, amused at his own joke, as the other students politely laughed.“Now, watch how I wave my wand as I cast the spell, and see if you can replicate it.”

Professor Flitwick walked the students through the steps needed to cast the Lumos spell.Dani thought, as Professor Flitwick carefully elaborated on his stance and wrist movement, that he was quite thorough and helpful, even for such a simple spell as lighting your wand.He didn’t even seem angry when one Gryffindor student accidentally let go of his wand as he was waving it, sending it flying towards Flitwick himself.He just ducked it carefully and laughed it off as the embarrassed Gryffindor apologised, rushing to get his sparking wand back.“Not to worry, not to worry!You’re all still beginners, after all, and you’ll learn all you need to know in Charms class, including how to properly grip your wand in spell-casting!”

By the end of the class, every student could cast _Lumos_ successfully, but Professor Flitwick praised Dani for hers especially, as it was much brighter than the rest of the class.“That’s the best execution of the Wand-Lighting Charm I’ve seen from a first year in quite some time!Ten points for Ravenclaw!”

“Nice work, Dani!” Rowan praised her after class.“I read up everything I could on the Wand-Lighting charm, but yours was still better.You’re a natural!”

“Thanks, Rowan,” Dani said.“It was just a wand-lighting charm, though.Nothing special.”

“No need to be so humble!” Rowan said.“I have a feeling you’re going to be one of the best witches at Hogwarts.”

 

Most of the rest of the classes Dani took did not come quite as easily to her as Charms did.She had no idea how Rowan could stay awake during History of Magic, with their ghostly teacher Professor Binns droning on in such a boring monotone.He made even a hilarious-sounding event like the Soap Blizzard of 1378 sound dull.

She also continued to be somewhat clumsy in Herbology, getting numerous plants from One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi confused.This earned her a few stern looks from Professor Sprout, but not as stern as the ones given to Nymphadora Tonks, who, every time she visited the classroom, managed to knock over and break no less than three different plants and pots.

She managed to do alright in Transfiguration, however.Professor McGonagall, when they first arrived in her classroom, gave them all a very clear signal that she was not to be crossed.

“Welcome to your first Transfiguration class. I am your teacher, Professor McGonagall.Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts,” she said.“I expect complete concentration and absolute attention to detail.Anyone who messes around in my class will be told to leave and not come back.You have all been warned.”

She then proceeded to change the blackboard behind her into a flock of birds and then back again, even as the birds split up in different directions and flew across the room.Everyone was very impressed and couldn’t wait to get started, but soon learned that they wouldn’t be changing furniture into animals any time soon.After Professor McGonagall had the class take very thorough and complicated notes, she then gave each student a matchstick and told them to attempt to turn it into a needle.By the end of the lesson, Dani was among some of the only few students who had made any distinguishable difference to her needle, it having gotten a bit pointier in appearance, and Professor McGonagall gave her and the other few students a rare smile.

Dani continued to exhibit a gift at lighting her own wand exceptionally bright in Charms class, which Professor Flitwick praised by having her tutor the other students in the class who were struggling.Dani didn’t think she was a great tutor, awkward in her phrasing and not knowing fully how to fall into a teaching role, but by the end of the class, Professor Flitwick assured her that the students she had helped had developed brighter ends to their wands.

 

Her hardest day yet at Hogwarts came that Friday, however, when she and Rowan had double Potions with the Slytherins.Rowan had forgotten her potions supplies in her dormitory in the sleepy haze she had traveled down to the Great Hall with Dani for breakfast, so Dani finished her eggs and bacon alone that morning and traveled down to the dungeons on her own for.When she emerged into the dungeon corridor, however, she saw Rowan down there already, talking to another student.Noticing Rowan’s stiffened shoulders, an alarm went off in Dani’s head, and she quickened her pace to hear what they were saying.

“Admit it!” a raspy voice was saying.

“I can’t!” Rowan cried.

“Say I’m the most powerful witch at Hogwarts!”The voice belonged to the shaggy-haired girl Dani had stood in front of during the Sorting Ceremony.She was glaring quite viciously at Rowan, seemingly trying to intimidate her.

“It’s logically impossible!” Rowan was saying as Dani drew nearer.“I’ve made numerous lists of the most powerful witches at Hogwarts based on multiple factors.You’re less powerful than Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Madam Hooch, Madam Pomfrey, every single seventh year…You’re just a first year like me!”

“I’m _nothing_ like you,” the girl sneered, leaning up really close in Rowan’s face.

Dani felt something urgent well up inside her, and it was this that prompted her to walk up and shove the girl away from Rowan.

“Get away from her.”Dani blurted out awkwardly.

The girl looked taken aback for a split second, before her face shifted into pure disgust and annoyance.“Who do you think you are?” she challenged Dani.

“D-Dani is the one who should be claiming to be the best witch,” Rowan stuttered nervously, edging not too subtly behind Dani as she spoke. “Professor Flitwick said she cast the best Wand-Lighting Charm of any first-year.”

“‘Dani?’” the girl said.Then her face got a wicked grin on it.“ _Now_ I know who you are… _you’re_ Daniella Eisold, the one everyone’s been talking about.Your brother lost his mind, disgraced his house, got expelled from Hogwarts, and was never heard from again.”She chuckled mockingly.“You _belong_ in Ravenclaw.”

Dani wanted to say a number of things in response, but all she could get out was, “Who are you?”

“Merula Snyde,” the girl introduced herself, a smug look on her face.“First year Slytherin.The best witch at Hogwarts.”

“I highly doubt that,” Dani deadpanned.

“Hmph. I suppose you think you’re _better_ than me, then?” Merula jeered at her.“I overheard the professors whispering about you at the Feast.They probably think you’re going to go the same way as your brother, just as insane and destructive as him.I should put you out of your misery before you ruin Hogwarts like your brother tried to.”

“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” Dani tried to reason, even though a large part of her begged her to stick her wand somewhere it would hurt.“I just don’t think you should be bullying me or my friends.”

Merula threw her head back and laughed, a loud, mocking sound in the echoing dungeons.“You don’t want any _trouble_?You’re just _begging_ for it by even being in this school and challenging the likes of me!”

“Eisold,” a soft, nasally voice spoke.The Potions teacher, Professor Snape, a hook-nosed man with greasy black hair, had silently crept up on the three of them while Dani and Merula had been focused on each other.He now leered down at Dani, his dark eyes making Dani think of underground tunnels.“Challenging students in the corridors already?I knew you would be trouble.”

“Professor Snape!” Merula startled.She started to take on a meek-looking face, and Dani instantly knew she was going to try to act innocent.So she spoke first.

“Merula was bullying my friend, Professor,” Dani blurted out.Merula glared at her, her heavily eye-shadowed eyes narrowed.

“Get into my classroom,” Professor Snape clipped, unfazed by Dani’s accusation.“Be grateful you aren’t headed to detention.”He stalked off, Merula on his heels.Merula turned back one last time, when Professor Snape wasn’t looking, to stick her tongue out at Dani before she entered the Potions classroom.

“Thanks for sticking up for me, Dani,” Rowan said.“I’ve never been very strong.Or very good at making friends.I’m glad we’re both in Ravenclaw.”

“Being in Ravenclaw has nothing to do with it, Rowan,” Dani replied.“You’re my friend, and you stand up for me, so why shouldn’t I do the same?” She smiled at Rowan, and Rowan gave her a soft, shy smile in return. “Who does that girl think she is, anyway?She’s just a first year, why is she going around claiming she’s the best witch at Hogwarts?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve heard other students talking about her,” Rowan said.“She’s made quite a name for herself already.I guess I was her next target.”

“Well, not if I have anything to say about it,” Dani said, and sighed.“Let’s get to Potions.We’re in enough trouble with Snape as it is, we don’t need to be late, too.”

 

“This is your first Potions class, and judging from the bewildered looks on your faces, it could very well be your last,” Professor Snape said.He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but no one had any problems hearing him.Professor Snape gave off a strong air of a person who was not to be trifled with, lest there be severe consequences.“Unlike your other classes, this is not a place for foolish wand-waving and screeching of mispronounced incantations.You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making.I don’t expect you to understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death, if you pay attention and keep…your mouths…shut.”He paused, letting the last consonants of his words ring through the students’ heads.After a sufficient amount of ringing silence, he continued, “Today, we will start with a potion so simple that a toddler could get it: the Cure for Boils.Look up at the board, where I have written down the ingredients you need and the instructions for brewing, and get it right the first time.I will not tolerate failure in this class.Let us begin.”

As the class began to shuffle to get the ingredients, Merula, whom Dani and Rowan had been forced to sit next to due to all of the other seats being taken, smirked at the two of them.

“You think you’re so special, Eisold, but you’re already destined to fail,” Merula sneered.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Dani asked.

“Oh, you’ll see…” Merula sang, a smug look on her face.

“Just ignore her, Dani,” Rowan advised.“She’s a prat, but we just got reprimanded by Professor Snape, so we need to brew this Cure for Boils perfectly.”

“Your entire existence is a boil, Khanna,” Merula mocked them, as they got up to gather ingredients.

Potions Class was already proving to be hard to concentrate in, with the fumes of the potions making Dani dizzy, coupled with Merula snickering at them every now and then for seemingly no reason at all, and smirking at them like she knew something.With Professor Snape also sweeping across the room in his black robes like a large, intimidating shadow, criticizing everyone’s technique except for the Slytherins, it was made almost impossible.Rowan clearly didn’t work well under pressure, as her potion was emitting gray clouds rather than the pink smoke that the book said it would.Dani was surprised with how well her potion seemed to be turning out, as, for the entire class period, she had been dwelling on what Merula had said out in the corridor.The professors had been whispering about her at the Feast?Dani had a feeling she knew what about, but it still left her unsettled and, despite her better judgment, wanting to know just what they said about her.She hoped Professor Flitwick hadn’t been among the teachers who had gossiped about her.She rather liked him, and, unless he was an amazing actor, he seemed to like her as well.She wondered if all of the teachers secretly hated her, and Professor Snape was just the only one so far who had expressed his true feelings about her.

Her hands were shaking as she waved her wand to complete her potion.The potion sparked a bit, and then laid bubbling, a thin pink smoke rising from the cauldron.

“You got pink smoke!” Rowan exclaimed.“That means you brewed the potion correctly!”

“Really?” Dani said shocked, looking into her cauldron in amazement.As she was gazing down at it, the contents of her cauldron started to turn from purple to red, and started to bubble more ferociously.The smoke started thicken and get a red tinge to it.“Wait…what’s happening?”

“Did you add Bulbadox powder?” Rowan asked nervously.“From my studies, this looks like the beginnings of an explosive reaction caused by adding Bulbadox powder…”

“Explosive?!”

Suddenly, there was a loud crack and a sizzle as the cauldron Dani had been working with broke in two, spilling potion all over the table.

Merula looked at Dani snidely.“Congratulations, Eisold.You have cured the table of boils.”

Unfortunately, Professor Snape chose this moment to walk over to their table.He sneered at Dani’s broken cauldron and the remnants of her potion.“You should never have been allowed inside of my classroom, Eisold.You are somehow even worse than your brother.”He waved his wand, and Dani’s Cure for Boils, which was getting dangerously close to spilling onto her robes, was cleared away.“Ten points from Ravenclaw.What do you have to say for yourself?”

Dani didn’t know what to say.The potion had looked perfect, and then it suddenly exploded.But she obviously couldn’t say this to Professor Snape.He wouldn’t believe her, and he’d probably take even more points away for her making excuses.

Just as a meek apology began to escape her lips, however, Rowan spoke up.“I-I think Merula Snyde did something to Dani’s cauldron, Professor.”

“This is Eisold’s fault, Khanna, not Miss Snyde’s,” Professor Snape said, glaring at Rowan.“She should take responsibility for her own failures, not have her snivelling little sidekicks make up excuses for her.”

Rowan quailed under Professor Snape’s gaze, but kept speaking.“W-well, i-it’s just…she already threatened us outside in the corridor, and then she said she would make sure that Dani fails at Potions.I t-think she might be threatened b-because she thinks Dani might be a m-more powerful witch…”

Merula had a glare on her face that could cut through steel.Professor Snape paused, his gaze shifting between the three girls.

“Is this true, Miss Snyde?” Professor Snape asked Merula silkily.

Merula straightened up her face, and looked at Professor Snape indignantly.“Absolutely not, Professor.Eisold is clearly just as mad as her brother, and it seems her madness can spread to anyone she comes in contact with.”She threw a dark gaze at Dani and Rowan.“She seems just as driven to ruin everything in Hogwarts, too.That’s why she screwed up in brewing her potion, so it would explode.It’s all going to go downhill from here.”

Professor Snape narrowed his black eyes.Even though he clearly favoured Slytherin, it seemed even he was having trouble believing Merula’s story.“Your family has represented Slytherin well, Miss Snyde.I will be watching you closely to ensure you do the same.”He looked at Dani again.“That goes double for you, Eisold, although I can’t say the same for your family.”

As Professor Snape swept away, Merula looked at Dani smugly.

“What are you smiling about?” Dani asked.“He gave you a warning, he didn’t believe you.”

“Well, he clearly believed you less, since he took points away from your house,” Merula retorted.“And it’s only going to get worse from here, Eisold.”

“Dismissed,” Professor Snape announced.“I’ve had enough of all of you for one day.”

“Just leave us alone, Merula,” Dani said.“You’re nothing but a nuisance and a bully, and you have a long way to go before you even get close to being the best witch at Hogwarts.”

And before Merula could respond, Dani grabbed Rowan by the hand and tugged her out of the classroom with her.


	4. Devil's Snare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That moment when an eleven year old tries to murder you because you called her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I tried bleaching my hair and dyeing it for the first time in my life (I'm 21) last night. Good news, my hair is extremely resilient towards bleach, so it's just as soft as it usually is. Bad news, the color I bought that got really good reviews hates me, and it's already almost completely out of my hair after one wash, and it was semi-permanent. So I'm going to try to fix that this afternoon...sigh...
> 
> Anyways, I hope you like this chapter where Dani almost dies (almost wrote dyes, lol), and I'll work on back-stocking more chapters, since this was the last one I had in reserve. I would love to have a twice a week update schedule, but I'm in a college that loves to pride itself on its work load, and writer's block can hit me hard. Maybe someday...

“Thanks for defending me back there,” Dani said, as she and Rowan made their way back to the Ravenclaw Common Room.“I didn’t even think to wonder whether Merula had sabotaged me.”

“You’re welcome,” Rowan responded.“I’m just glad Professor Snape didn’t give me detention for it.”She chuckled nervously.“You don’t think Merula is going to try and get payback, do you?She looked pretty angry back there, having her plans ruined, and then you saying what you said…”

“Well, it’s true,” Dani protested.“She can’t be the best witch at Hogwarts when she’s only been here a week so far!Someone had to stand up to her, give her the hard truth.”

“Yeah, I agree with you,” Rowan soothed.“I just can’t help but have a bad feeling about her…”

“E-excuse me, are you Daniella Eisold?” a timid voice asked.For a second, it seemed as if the stone wall had talked to Dani, which wouldn’t have been anything out of the ordinary at Hogwarts, but then a boy slinked out from an unseen divot in the wall.It was the boy with the copper-colored hair who had fainted before the Sorting.

“Oh…hello,” Dani greeted awkwardly.If she felt nervous about this boy who had addressed her suddenly, it seemed nothing compared to the boy himself.He looked perpetually hunched over with nerves, looking up through his eyelashes as his head was tilted downwards in submission.“Yes, I’m Dani Eisold, and this is my friend Rowan Khanna.Who are you?”

“M-my name’s Ben Copper,” the boy introduced himself as he fidgeted with his robes nervously.“I’m a first-year, like you.I-I just wanted to say thank you for standing up to Merula Snyde.”Ben seemed more nervous about it than thankful, in Dani’s opinion.

“Who told you I did that?Did you hear us while we were coming down the corridor?” Dani wondered.She also wondered how long Ben had been hiding in that divot in the wall.

“Well…yes…” Ben responded, looking to the side awkwardly.“But I was also watching from the end of the corridor, b-before you went into Potions Class.”

“Why were you in the dungeons?” Dani asked, confused.

“I-I’ve been following Merula in secret,” Ben admitted.

“Er…” Dani deadpanned.

“That’s a little creepy,” Rowan added helpfully, then covered her mouth with her hand, looking scandalized that she had said that.

Ben immediately turned beet-red.“I-i-it’s not that I’m b-being a st-stalker or anything!” he insisted.“I-I’ve j-just been f-following her s-so she can’t sneak up on me!And if she d-does see me, I-I’ll at least have the chance to r-run away.”

“Why do you think she’s going to sneak up on you?” Rowan wondered.

“S-she’s been bullying me ever since the Hogwarts Express,” Ben said, ducking his head even more than before.“She tormented me the entire way here, threatening me and calling me a M-mudblood…”

Rowan gasped into her hand. 

“She called you a what?!” Dani cried, disgusted.The nerve of that girl!Everyone in the wizarding world knew that the term ‘Mudblood’ was an extremely derogatory term for a wizard with Muggle parents.For Merula to choose Ben, a clearly timid boy, as her target not only for torment, but for slurs like that…“That’s so…what in the bloody hell is wrong with her?”

Rowan put a tentatively comforting hand on Ben’s shoulder, who had started to cower when Dani had raised her voice.“I’m so sorry, Ben,” Rowan said, her eyes wide with sadness and pity.“That’s terrible.Merula is a horrible person to call you that, and to do those things to you.”

Ben, who had initially flinched when Rowan had laid her hand on his shoulder, eventually relaxed.Well, as much as it seemed he was able to relax, anyway.“I’m just glad someone was finally brave enough to stand up to her.I’m certainly not.It’s a joke that I got put in Gryffindor.”

“Well, you have to first be afraid of something in order to be brave, right?” Rowan suggested.

“Yeah, well, unfortunately, I’m afraid of _everything,_ ” Ben moaned.“I come from a Muggle family, so all of this is new and scary to me.I didn’t even know magic was _real_ before I got my Hogwarts letter, and now not only am I expected to do all of these crazy spells, but I have to deal with new, magical dangers, too!Giant spiders, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, dragons…” Ben’s eyes got wider and wider with every monster he listed, and he seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating.

“Well yes, those creatures exist, but they can’t get us here,” Dani assured him.“We’re just first years, and the teachers want to keep us safe.”

“I’ve read in many books that Hogwarts is known to be one of the safest places in Great Britain,” Rowan offered.

“Even with how many ghosts are here?And other…things?” Ben whimpered.

“Ghosts are a bit spooky, sure, but all of them are friendly here,” Dani said.“Peeves is annoying to deal with, but there are people _and_ ghosts to deal with him.I’ve heard the Bloody Baron is especially good at getting him in line.”

“B-but the Bloody Baron is so _creepy!”_ Ben whimpered.“You’ve seen him, with his blood-soaked front and those empty eyes that leer at you…”

“Well I’m not saying you should seek him out or anything,” Dani chuckled.“Look, my main point is that yes, there are some frightening sides of the Wizarding World, but there are some pretty amazing ones, too.I’m sure you’ll get used to it, and even learn to appreciate it eventually.”

“Yeah…I hope so…” Ben mumbled.

“I’ll try to help you however I can, Ben,” Dani assured him.“Especially if it means putting Merula in her place.”

_“We’ll_ try to help you, you mean,” Rowan interjected.“I may be a bit weaker than most, but I’m getting the hang of knowing how to help a friend.” She smiled at Dani as she said this.

“Thanks, you two…” Ben said, giving them a shaky smile.“I’ll see you around…?”

“Definitely,” Dani said.

 

Dani didn’t get as warm a welcome when she and Rowan arrived to the Ravenclaw Common Room.As they entered after they answered the door knocker’s riddle (“What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, and has a bed but never sleeps?”), Dani was greeted with a hard look from Chester Davies.He strode over to them, and Dani felt a momentary impulse to hide.

“Alright, what happened?” he asked.

“Er…what do you mean?” Dani asked uncomfortably.

“Ravenclaw lost ten points only a few minutes ago, and then you two come back from Potions Class,” Chester explained.“With the Eisold family history, and Professor Snape’s hatred for Jacob while he was a student here, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Dani Eisold here probably had something to do with it.So, I’ll ask again: what happened?”

Dani felt her face heat up in a mixture of embarrassment and indignance.“So just because I’m related to my brother, I’m immediately the cause of all of Ravenclaw’s setbacks?”

“I didn’t say that,” Chester backtracked.“But since we’re in fourth place now, I’m a little…concerned about our House standings.” Dani could tell that he wasn’t originally going to say ‘House standings.’“So, as your Prefect, and as someone who said he was going to keep his eye on you, I am privileged to have a bit of suspicion.”

“Ok, one, I’m _not_ my brother, so you don’t need to treat me like a jinx that’s rigged to go off,” Dani said firmly, giving Chester a hard glare of her own.“and two, it wasn’t even my fault.”

“So you _did_ do something, then.”

“No, Prefect Chester,” Rowan spoke up timidly.It seemed she was just as anxious about standing up to a prefect as she was about standing up to a professor.“Merula Snyde, a Slytherin first-year, she tampered with Dani’s potion.I’m certain that she coated the cauldron in Bulbadox powder to make the contents explode.”

“Just Chester is fine, thank you,” Chester first addressed Rowan, then raised a suspicious eyebrow at Dani.“And why would she tamper with your potion, exactly?”

“I kind of confronted her in the corridor before class,” Dani admitted.

Chester sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

“She was threatening my friend, Chester!” Dani exclaimed.“I had to do something!And she seems obsessed about proving that she’s the best witch at Hogwarts, even though she’s just a first year like us!”

“Alright, I get it,” Chester said irritably.He looked up with an exhausted expression on his face.“Just…why a Slytherin of all people, Dani?And why _right outside_ of Professor Snape’s classroom, a professor who pretty much despises all Hogwarts students, save for the Slytherins?”

“How was I supposed to know, exactly?” Dani asked him, incredulous.

Chester sighed again.He looked exhausted already.“I suppose we all make mistakes, although most of us don’t make mistakes costing us ten house points in the first week, all on the same day.”Dani wanted to object, but Chester interrupted her.“In any case, Professor Snape has already sent a letter for you to the Common Room.”

Chester held out a letter, which Dani took from him.“Why wouldn’t he just send the letter to me directly?” she asked.

“Probably because he despises you,” Chester responded dryly.“Professor Snape hates everyone, so don’t take it too personally, but I would advise you to be on your guard around him from now on, especially since you’ve already gotten on his bad side.Now go on and read the letter.”

Dani opened the letter, which was written in deep black ink with slanted and slightly rough handwriting, and read aloud, “‘Eisold, I have discovered evidence that your potion may have indeed been tampered with.While it does not prove your innocence, it does cast some doubt on my belief that you are hopelessly incompetent.Bring me a jar of pickled slugs from the potions storeroom, and I will consider restoring your house points. -Professor Snape.’There are directions to the potions storeroom at the bottom of the letter…”

“He’s actually considering restoring your house points?” Chester asked, whose eyes had gotten very wide.“I’ve never known him to do that…maybe he got into a better mood after you left…?”

“So, I should go, then?” Dani asked.

“Of course you should go!” Chester exclaimed.“That’s ten points you can get back!Go quickly, before he changes his mind!”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Rowan offered, as Chester started trying to shove Dani out of the common room entrance.“It’s the least I can do, after you helped defend me from Merula.”

Dani smiled at her, standing her ground for a moment to address her (Chester huffed impatiently).“You already repaid me by trying to explain to Professor Snape what happened.But yeah, you know your way around the castle better than I do.I’d appreciate your company.”

“Yes, okay, fine, your friend can go, too, just hurry and get those pickled slugs!” Chester insisted, rushing the two out of the dormitory.

 

Following the directions on the letter, Dani and Rowan made their way across the castle to the eastern towers, where they were led to a wooden door in a deserted corridor.A cool draft seemed to be coming from inside the door, which Dani thought might be a chilling spell of sorts to keep the ingredients fresh.

“Well, the directions on the letter say this is the potions storeroom…” Dani said, giving one last check at the letter to make sure they had gone the right way.

“I had always thought it was located in the Tapestry Corridor…” Rowan mused, looking confused, an expression she had started wearing midway through their trip.“Are you sure you read the directions properly?” 

“Positive,” Dani affirmed.“I double-checked.You want to look for yourself?”She handed the letter to Rowan, who skimmed it over thoughtfully.

“…This does seem to be the right place…” Rowan said.“Maybe there’s more than one potions storeroom?Hogwarts does have a large body of students, after all…”

“Maybe,” Dani shrugged.“Chester did tell us to hurry, though, so maybe we can wonder about this later?”

“Right,” Rowan said, folding up the letter neatly and handing it back to Dani.“Let’s go find that jar of pickled slugs.”

Dani opened the door, which opened with a disturbing squelching sound, and ventured inside.The door closed behind the girls, leaving them in pitch darkness.The room was, as Dani had suspected, a bit chilly, and there was a smell in the air that reminded her faintly of mold.

“I can’t see a thing in here…why did you close the door, Rowan?” Dani muttered, straining her eyes against the blackness.

“I didn’t,” Rowan said.“It closed behind me as soon as we stepped inside.”There was the sound of a jiggling door knob in the darkness.“Uh oh…”

“What?” Dani asked, a feeling of dread creeping slowly through her.

“I think it’s locked…” Rowan said.

“Oh, brilliant,” Dani said.

“What do you mean brilliant?” Rowan asked, confusion and a slight tinge of fear in her voice.“We’re locked in a dark room.”

“What?No.I was being sarcastic,” Dani responded, raising an unseen eyebrow.

“O-oh.Okay,” Rowan said.A thick and awkward pause followed.“So…maybe you should cast _Lumos?_ So we can see, at least?”

“Oh, right,” Dani said, wanting to smack herself.How could she forget?“ _Lumos!”_ The tip of Dani’s wand lit up, lighting up the room with a dim glow.

Rather than the expected room filled with potions ingredients, Dani was greeted with the sight of what looked like a mass of knarled vines in front of her.The vines looked moist, and Dani thought she could see them moving slowly.

“What _is_ this thing?” Dani asked, disturbed.

“It’s a deadly plant called Devil’s Snare,” a raspy voice answered from behind the closed door.“Some fourth years showed it to me when I first arrived.It’s sensitive to light, so if you’re really better than me at the Wand-Lighting Charm, you should have no problem escaping.”

“Merula?!” Dani exclaimed, disbelieving.“ _You_ locked us in here?!”

“Along with sending you a fake letter from Professor Snape,” Merula answered smugly.“I told you things would only get worse for you, Eisold.”

“Why would you do this?!” Rowan cried.

“You should have never blamed me for your failure in potions,” Merula said.“I was hoping, with you two being all buddy-buddy, that Khanna would come along, too, since _she_ was the one who outed me.But I would have accepted Eisold on her own, as well.”

“So you _did_ coat my cauldron in Bulbadox powder!” Dani said furiously.

“I never said that,” Merula sang.“Clearly, you’re just as off your rocker as your brother was.Something has to stop you from ruining Hogwarts…it might as well be Devil’s Snare…”

“Let us out of here, Merula!” Rowan cried, jiggling the locked door desperately.There was a mocking chuckle, and the sound of footsteps retreating.“What are we going to - Dani!”

Rowan had turned around to look at Dani in despair, but her face morphed into a horrified expression.Dani looked down, and she saw thick, damp tendrils slowly curling around her legs and waist.

“AAAHH!” Dani yelled, trying to struggle her way out of the Devil’s Snare’s grip.To her dismay, however, the more she struggled, the tighter the vines seemed to get around her.“Rowan, help!”

Rowan moved as if she were going to reach out a hand, but just as Dani reached out to grab it, Rowan pulled it back.“I can’t!” she cried.“The more its prey struggles against its vines, the more Devil’s Snare will try to pull it in!If I try to pull you out, it might end up suffocating you!”

“Then what do I do?!” Dani exclaimed.

“Try to use Lumos to ward it off!” Rowan suggested anxiously.“Merula’s right that it’s sensitive to light.Usually stronger spells are needed to stop Devil’s Snare, but…” Rowan trailed off, looking nervous.“I’ll try to open the door and call for help, you keep yourself from getting…er…snared.”

Dani didn’t like the afterthought Rowan had said about Devil’s Snare, but all she had to use was _Lumos,_ so there was nothing else she could do.She struggled to wave her wand against the tendril that had started to slink its way around her right arm. _“Lumos!”_ she cried desperately.

The vines went still at the burst of fresh light from Dani’s wand, and Dani managed to at least yank her arm out of the tendril’s grip before the plant started moving again.“It worked a bit, but there’s so many of them, and _Lumos_ only does so much!” Dani said.

“Help!” Rowan was yelling against the door’s wood, continuing to jostle it.“Someone help us!We’re trapped in a room full of Devil’s Snare!Help!”

_Lumos!”_ Dani cried again, and got her legs a bit more free.However, as the light started to dim, even more tendrils started wrapping themselves around her waist.“HELP US!PLEASE!” Dani shrieked.

“Somebody help us!” Rowan yelled.“Please help, we’re trapped in here! HEEEELLLPPP!!!”

_“Lum—!”_ Dani’s voice was cut off as a vine wrapped around her throat.Rowan shrieked, and started banging on the door with her fists.

“HELP US!PLEASE HELP US!” She screamed.“MY FRIEND IS GOING TO DIE! WE’RE TRAPPED WITH DEVIL’S SNARE, AND MY FRIEND IS GOING TO DIE! HELP UUUUUSSS!!!”

Suddenly, there was the distant sound of stomping footsteps rapidly approaching them.A familiar gruff voice boomed, “WHAT’S GOIN’ ON IN THERE?!”

“PLEASE HELP US!” Rowan yelled.“WE’RE TRAPPED IN THE ROOM FULL OF DEVIL’S SNARE, AND MY FRIEND IS BEING PULLED IN!”

“OUTTA THE WAY!” the voice boomed.No sooner had Rowan stepped back did the door start shaking violently on its hinges, the person on the other side clearly throwing their full weight on it.Three large crashes, and the door was busted open, revealing an alarmed looking Hagrid.

“Gulpin’ gargoyles!” he exclaimed.“We gotta get yeh outta that Devil’s Snare!” 

He strode forward to try and pull the vines off of Dani, but Rowan grabbed his arms frantically.Dani, who was starting to get lightheaded, really wished she wouldn’t.

“No, stop!” Rowan cried.“The more you struggle against Devil’s Snare, the more it pulls you in!Use magic on it, make a fire, something!”

“I can’t use magic,” Hagrid said, trying to gently shake Rowan off of him.Rowan paled considerably, looking like a terrified rag doll.“I’m strong enough teh pull ‘er out, though.”

“But I just said-!”

“I know what yeh said,” Hagrid said, finally just picking Rowan up by the back of her robes to lift her off of him.Rowan, startled, finally let go, and Hagrid set her down gently.“An’ this is the only way I can help, with yer friend in the state she is.” He looked pointedly at the vines curling tighter around Dani’s neck.“So jus’ stand back an’ let me help, alright?”

Rowan looked reluctant, but with one last glance at the vines around Dani’s throat, she nodded shakily and took a step back, her hands pulling slightly at her hair.Hagrid turned and grabbed the vines around Dani’s neck with one hand and pulled.The vines seemed to get tighter, but Hagrid’s strength was so great that he managed to peel back the vines enough for Dani, whose vision was starting to get blurry, to take in a gasp of air.Her vision cleared almost immediately.

“Now worm yer head on outta there!” Hagrid grunted, pulling the vines back more.

Dani wiggled her head down through the gap Hagrid had widened, and once it was free, he let go of those vines and worked on the ones around her waist, left arm, and legs.After quite a bit of struggling, Dani was finally loose, and Hagrid ushered both her and Rowan through the door he had busted open.

“Are you okay, Dani?!” Rowan rushed over to check.

“Yeah, I’m fine…” Dani panted, feeling her now throbbing throat.“Just a little worse for wear…” She looked up at Hagrid and gave him a tired, but grateful, smile.“You saved my life, Hagrid.”

“Ah, don’ think nothin’ of it,” Hagrid said, smiling through his very bushy beard.“But how did yeh end up in there?”

“A first year Slytherin named Merula Snyde locked us inside,” Rowan said shakily.

“She did?!” Hagrid exclaimed.“What’re yeh gonna do?”

“Obviously, we’re going to tell Professor Dumbledore,” Rowan stated.“I imagine everything about this was against school rules, especially endangering two students.The Headmaster needs to know, so that she can get properly punished.”

“Do yeh have any proof?” Hagrid asked them.

“I have a fake letter from Professor Snape that Merula wrote,” Dani said hoarsely.“But I can’t prove she’s the one who wrote it…”

Hagrid shook his head sadly.“I’m sure Professor Dumbledore would want to help yeh, but even he can’t do anythin’ if yeh don’t have proof.”

Rowan looked at him desperately.“But Dani got strangled by that thing…there must be _something_ we can do…Merula can’t get away with this…!”

“Ah…I’m sorry, you two…” Hagrid said sadly.“Nuthin’ can be done if yeh don’ have proof, not even by Professor Dumbledore.I think the best thing yeh can do fer now is to go back to yer common room, an’ take some time teh think.Don’t want yeh doin’ summat yeh’ll regret.”He took a second look at Dani.“And yeh might wanna do summat abou’ yer robes, there.That Devil’s Snare got yeh good.”

Dani looked down at herself.Her robes, once neat and freshly ironed, were now in tatters, with many rips and tears in her sleeves and the bottom of the cloak.She tutted in annoyance.

“By the way, are yeh Daniella Eisold?”Dani looked up in surprise.Hagrid was looking at her pensively, and gestured at Rowan. “This one called yeh Dani.”

Dani nodded, and introduced Rowan as well.Hagrid nodded solemnly.“So yer the one everyone’s talkin’ abou’, eh?Maybe trouble _does_ run in yer family…’S unfortunate, really.I hope yeh don’ get too much trouble abou’ yer brother…”

“It’s a little late for that,” Dani grimaced, looking back at the Devil’s Snare room.

“So tha’s why that student, Merula, shoved yeh in there?” Hagrid shook his head.“She sounds like a nasty piece of work.’S far as I know, it’s the individual that matters, not where they came from, an’ anyone who says otherwise is just a right ol’ duffer.” He winked at them.“Now, I bes’ be gettin yeh back to yer common room.Don’ want yeh ter get in more trouble than ye already have.”

 

“Bloody hell!” Chester exclaimed, as Rowan and Dani walked into the common room.“What on earth happened to your robes?”

“Devil’s Snare,” Dani said simply, since her throat was already sore enough as it was.

“Devil’s Snare?!” Chester repeated, bewildered.“What?How?And what happened with Professor Snape?”

“It was a trick,” Rowan said grimly.“Merula faked the note, and got us trapped in the room with Devil’s Snare in it.We wouldn’t have escaped if Hagrid hadn’t heard us.”

“Well…er…good on Hagrid,” Chester stammered.Dani almost wanted to laugh at how bewildered and lost for words Chester’s expression was.“What is it with you and this girl, anyway?You told me you stood up to her, but is that all?”

“Well, she probably hates that I stood up to her…” Dani said hoarsely.“And she might be worried that I’m a better witch than her?Like I said, she’s obsessed with being the best witch at Hogwarts, and I think she thinks she needs to take me down to prove it.”

“Yes, but Devil’s Snare?That’s just mental…” Chester said, running a hand through his hair dumbfounded.“Do you have any proof that she was the one who did this?”

“Do you not believe me?” Dani asked irritably.

“I believe you,” Chester assured her, “somehow.But if I’m going to report this, I’ll need proof.”

“I have this fake letter Merula wrote me,” Dani offered.“But I can’t prove that she was the one who wrote it.”

Chester sighed in disappointment.

“Wait, maybe we can…” Rowan started.Chester and Dani looked at her, intrigued.“Maybe if we can get our hands on something Merula wrote, and something Professor Snape wrote, then we can prove that she was the one who wrote the letter!”

“That’s brilliant!” Dani said, but Chester was shaking his head.“Even if you do manage to get something Professor Snape wrote on, which would most likely be a detention slip, that plan would still require stealing from Merula, and if you get found out, you’ll lose us even more house points,” he said.

“Well…what if I just bring the note to Professor Snape?” Dani suggested.“He can just confirm that he didn’t send it.”

“If he _chooses_ to confirm it,” Chester countered.“Remember, he favours Slytherin.Even if he believes you, he still may not punish Merula like she deserves.”

At Rowan and Dani’s expressions, Chester said, “Look, I’m trying to help you not get into any more trouble, which you seem have a tendency to attract.If you choose to do something about this, just know that I may not be able to help you much, and I would hate to have to take more house points from you.”He took out his wand, pointed it at Dani’s robes, and said, _“Reparo.”_ All of the rips and tears in Dani’s robes stitched up neatly, looking as though Dani had never even seen the Devil’s Snare.“Now, how about you two go down to the Great Hall and get some supper?It’s been a long day.” 


	5. Fight and Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapters suck. But hey, you get to figure out how Gobstones works, and you get to see how Ben is still a coward. Fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, sorry for skipping last week! Not only am I still trying to get back into a proper schedule with my return to college, but filler chapters are completely unmotivating to write. I'm going to try and catch up on chapters more today and until next Saturday, so, at the very least, I'll have next chapter ready by next Saturday! I hate fics that don't update regularly or often, so I'm trying my best to not be That Guy, you know?
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter, even though almost nothing happens! It'll hopefully get better as I write further.

Supper in the Great Hall that night was interesting, but uneventful.As Dani and Rowan took their seats at the Ravenclaw table, Dani caught the eye of Merula, who was staring at them with a look of shocked disappointment.The look of her bulging dark eyes against her slightly smudged eye shadow managed to bring a weak chuckle out of Dani, despite her exhausted resentment.At Rowan’s questioning look, Dani bobbed her head in Merula’s direction, and Rowan scoffed.

“She really thought we’d die in there, didn’t she?” Dani said, piling shepherd’s pie onto her plate.“How are we ever going to deal with her?”

“We could try those plans we thought of in the Common Room,” Rowan suggested.

“Maybe, but would it really be worth it if we’d get in even more trouble than before?” Dani questioned.“Perhaps Chester is right…All the teachers already hate me, and besides, if she doesn’t get expelled, she’ll just figure out another way to get us back even worse than we did.”

“I don’t think _all_ the teachers hate you, Dani,” Rowan assured her.“Just Snape, and like Chester said, he hates everyone.”

“You heard Merula,” Dani protested.“The teachers were all whispering about me at the Feast…if they don’t immediately hate me, they’re at least suspicious of me…why would they believe me, when Jacob got in loads of trouble for snooping where he shouldn’t have?”

“Because you have proof!” Rowan said.“You have the letter she forged, and surely the other teachers have seen Professor Snape’s handwriting.You need to tell a professor about this, Dani.It just isn’t fair otherwise…”

“I know…” Dani sighed, picking at the peas inside of her pie.“Maybe later, though…I just want to eat and go to bed…”

Rowan opened her mouth to protest, and Dani took that opportunity to shove a spoonful of mashed potatoes into it.Rowan spluttered around her mouthful indignantly, but at Dani’s tired look, she seemed to get the hint, and begrudgingly dropped it.

As they ate, conversation somehow turned to how best to get revenge on Merula, the plans getting more and more bizarre as they got their cheer back.Dani thought her idea of convincing Peeves to invisibly torment Merula all day by making farting noises every time she talked was pretty great, until Rowan suggested they use Peeves to instead chase Merula into the Forbidden Forest to get swarmed by angry Bowtruckles, which caused Dani to choke on her pumpkin juice in her laughter. 

The two Ravenclaws were in much higher spirits by the time they finished their meal, but as they entered the Ravenclaw Common Room, they noticed a group of students crowding around the bulletin board.As Dani made her way closer, she saw a notice pinned up that read:

 

_Flying Lessons with Madam Hooch begin this Saturday from 3pm until 4pm._

_From this point onwards, flying lessons will continue on this schedule until the end of the trimester._

_This class is a mandatory elective for all first years.Any first year who is tardy or doesn’t show up will face the same consequences as of any other class._

_Ravenclaws will share their class period with Gryffindors._

 

“Well, at least Merula can’t knock us off of our brooms in flying class…” Dani said optimistically.“That’ll save me from _some_ humiliation at least.”

“I’m sure you won’t be worse than me,” Rowan remarked, smiling humorously.“I’m more of a bookworm than a natural flier, no matter how well I know broom and wand woods.”

“Well, my parents didn’t exactly let me or Jacob fly on brooms before we went to Hogwarts,” Dani explained.“They were very against magic usage outside of Hogwarts, and once everything happened with Jacob, they became even more strict about it.”

“Well, at least we can be clumsy together, yeah?” Rowan offered.“I’ll try to read up on everything I can about flying before tomorrow, just so we can be a bit more prepared.Want to join me?”

Dani didn’t think reading about flying would help very much, but she agreed anyway.She would need all the preparation she could get before tomorrow, and if the only way possible right now was through reading, then she would settle for it.

 

At a quarter of three the next day, Dani, Rowan, and the other Ravenclaw first years traveled down to the grounds for their first flying lesson.It was a bright, sunny day, with not a single cloud in the sky, and the grass lightly swayed under their feet as they marched toward the smooth, flat lawn that was the Training Grounds, which was overlooked by tall towers on the castle’s side.On the opposite side, the distant Herbology greenhouses could be seen, their shining glass contrasting against the dark trees of the Forbidden Forest just beyond.

The Gryffindor first years had already arrived, and they were standing chatting amongst themselves near twenty broomsticks laying in neat, parallel lines on the ground.Dani noticed a familiar copper-haired boy among them, and she and Rowan made their way over to him.

“Hello, Ben,” Dani greeted him, startling Ben out of his apprehensive gaze at the broomsticks lying on the ground.“How is everything?”

“Oh…h-hello, Dani,” Ben said shakily.“I’ve been dreading this class all summer…” He glanced nervously back at the brooms on the ground.

“Are you afraid of heights?” Rowan asked, a sympathetic look in her eyes.

“Falling from heights, mostly,” Ben said.“I come from a Muggle family, remember?The idea of flying on a broom through the sky, without any protection, is terrifying…”

“What do you mean protection?” Rowan asked, confused.“There are probably Cushioning Charms cast on all of these brooms.”

“Well, I mean, at least in helicopters and airplanes, there’s a barrier around you as you fly,” Ben explained.“Brooms are just a stick of wood under you…”

Air…plains?Helly-cop-tors?What are those?” Dani asked, bewildered.

Ben turned very red.“N…nevermind…”

“Aren’t those the machines Muggles use to fly through the air?” Rowan asked, an interested look on her face.

“W-well…yes,” Ben said shyly.“Airplanes are, er…the ones with the big wings that are farther up in the sky.And helicopters are the smaller, sort of rounder ones with the spinning propellor on top.”

Dani looked at Ben, intrigued.“Oh, so that’s what those are?I’ve always wondered how they stay up in the air without magic, especially those…air-plains?They have wings like a bird, but they don’t seem to flap them…”

“I-I-I don’t know everything about how Muggle technology works…” Ben said, his shoulders hunched and his fists bunched in his robes.“I-I just know that…i-it works, y-you know?”

“That’s understandable,” Dani said, smiling in reassurance.

“Could you learn about how they do it, or get a book on it, and either tell me or lend me the book?” Rowan asked eagerly.“This sounds so fascinating!”

Dani rolled her eyes at Rowan as Ben turned an even darker red. _Leave it up to Rowan to want to learn everything she can, even about the Muggle World,_ Dani thought.She decided to change the subject back to flying, since Ben seemed even more nervous about it than Dani did.“If it makes you feel any better, Ben, I’ve never flown on a broom before either, and neither has Rowan.This is new for a lot of us.”

Ben turned paler at once.“I s-suppose that makes me feel a l-little better?But…I’m still not sure I can do this…”

“Sure you can!” Rowan said brightly.“You’ve actually flown before, remember?”

“D-did you miss the part about how airplanes and helicoptors aren’t j-just a stick of w-wood under you with no walls o-or anything?” Ben whimpered.

“Well…just concentrate on the broom, and don’t think about falling,” Dani suggested.“Just keep looking forward, and don’t look down, ok?”

“Easy for you to say…” Ben muttered.

Just then, Madam Hooch arrived, her short grey hair waving slightly in the wind as she walked briskly toward them.Dani felt a bit unnerved by her sharp, yellow eyes as they took in the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw first years before her.They reminded her of a hawk searching for its next meal.

“Welcome to Flying Class,” Madam Hooch said sharply.“I will be your instructor, Madam Hooch.I know you’re all quite excited to learn how to fly, but we will be saving that for a future lesson.”At the sound of the students’ groaning, she continued, “I know, I know, I’m frustrated, too.But we’ve had a few too many…accidents lately, and I’m being told to exercise a bit more caution.So today, you will begin by just learning how to summon your broom, followed by a demonstration on proper techniques.Now, all of you step up to a broomstick, left side if you’re right-handed, right side if you’re left-handed.”

Dani strode up to a broomstick, making sure she was across from Ben so she could keep an eye on him.Ben looked a bit less pale, now that he knew he wasn’t going to have to fly on a broom just yet. Looking down at her own broomstick, Dani noticed just how ancient it looked, the wood pale and brittle-looking, with twigs sticking out at odd angles from the end.She could hear Rowan tutting at her own broomstick to her right, mumbling things like, “Poor thing…” and “If my parents saw this, they’d have a fit…”

“Everyone got a broom?” Madam Hooch asked briskly.“Now then, hold your dominant hand out over your broomstick, and say ‘Up!’”

“UP!” everyone shouted.

Dani’s broomstick levitated a few feet off the ground, shuddered, then slowly lowered back down.Dani felt a slight twinge of disappointment, but looking around at the other students, she was clearly not alone in her failed attempt.Rowan’s broom was doing a sort of half-hearted jig on the ground, and Ben’s was completely motionless, possibly due to his shaking hand and quietly trembling voice.Only a few students had managed to get their brooms off of the ground on the first try, one being a Gryffindor boy with fiery red hair and freckles, and another a black Ravenclaw boy who looked as if the broom had been made for him.

Madam Hooch gave all of the first years some time to try to summon their own brooms, but after ten minutes had gone by, she seemed to grow impatient, and told the remaining students, Ben among them, to just pick up their brooms manually.

“I expect all of you to get a bit more confident about riding your brooms over the next few classes,” Madam Hooch ordered.“Flying a broomstick may be an elective, but it is still a useful skill, thus why it is required for first years.By the end of this trimester, all of you will be expected to have the confidence to successfully summon your broom off the ground, and be able to safely mount and fly one, so as to not fall to your possible deaths.”Ben squeaked at this, and Madam Hooch gave him a sharp look.“All things come with a risk, especially the ones that are the most fun.And flying can provide a great sense of joy and freedom when mastered.Now, all eyes up here.I have important information for you.”

The rest of the class was spent with Madam Hooch showing everyone how to properly mount a broom and grasp its handle, as well as going over some basic flying techniques.Dani felt a bit bored, despite herself.Sure, she had a curiosity about flying like most other people in her class, but just watching someone fly while not being allowed to do it yourself?This wasn’t exactly Quidditch, either, so she didn’t have any action to watch or teams to root for.It seemed she wasn’t alone in her boredom, either, as she glanced around at the rest of the students.Many were fidgeting with their brooms or shuffling their feet on the grass, and some just weren’t paying attention, gazing up at the clouds above or at the distant Forbidden Forest.Only Rowan and Ben seemed to have their full attention on Madam Hooch.Dani guessed from Ben’s expression that he was trying to learn as much as possible so that he wouldn’t die, which Madam Hooch seemed intent on reminding everyone was very possible if you made even a slight mistake, like having long hair, or even swallowing a bug.Perhaps she was just trying to get everyone to take it seriously, but her tactics were clearly not working as well as she had hoped, since she had to blow her whistle a number of times during class to get everyone to pay attention to her and her lecture.

“I understand that learning about flying is not quite as interesting as flying yourself,” Madam Hooch snipped after blowing her whistle for the third time that day, startling some first year girls out of their giggled conversation.“But in order to not immediately fall and injure yourselves, you must learn how to focus.”She checked her watch, and sighed in annoyance.“However, that will have to wait until next class.If you have some free time this week, I strongly suggest you come see me about borrowing a broom to practice summoning.Next class, we will begin to get serious.”She gave them all a long, piercing stare.“Dismissed.”

“I suppose I don’t have to worry about flying if I never actually fly…” Ben mused, as he, Dani, and Rowan all brought their brooms to Madam Hooch.“Thanks for helping me today, Dani.”

“Well, you’ll have to fly eventually, Ben,” Dani said.“We’re going to keep having this class until the end of the trimester, after all.”

“Yeah, I suppose so,” Ben said nervously.“Though maybe it won’t be so bad if you keep helping me…”

“Of course I’ll keep helping you,” Dani assured him, smiling.“I know you can do this, Ben.You just have to get used to the idea of flying, and you’ll see that there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Helping a student get over his fear of flying, I hear?” Madam Hooch smiled.“That’s quite a generous and honorable thing to do, Miss Eisold.Worthy of ten points to Ravenclaw, I’d say.”

Dani beamed.“Thank you, Madam Hooch!”

“I don’t know if I can get over my fear of flying by next class, though,” Ben admitted.

“Rowan has some books on flying that we went over last night to prepare for class,” Dani said.“I’m sure she’d let you borrow them if you promise to protect them.”

“Of course I would!” Rowan chirped.“And I’m sure there are plenty of books on flying available in the library as well!”

Ben smiled shakily.“I do like reading books.Hardly anyone falls to their death while reading books…”

 

 

 

“Thanks for inviting me to play Gobstones with you, Rowan,” Dani greeted, as she walked into the Clocktower Courtyard to meet her friend.It was the day after their first Flying lesson, and Rowan had proposed that the two play to take a break from their homework and catch up, especially since Dani had revealed that she had never played the game before.

“No problem, Dani!” Rowan responded brightly.“I’ve never actually played it with someone outside of my family before, so this will be fun!It was my favourite game to play on the farm!”

“So, how do you play?” Dani asked, as she watch Rowan take out a piece of chalk and draw a circle on the ground, with a line through the middle.

“It’s a lot like the Muggle game marbles, except that every time a point is scored, the loser gets sprayed in the face!” Rowan explained excitedly.

“Er…what’s marbles?” Dani asked, confused already.“And sprayed with what?”

Rowan looked up with wide eyes, then grimaced sheepishly.“Oh…right, you don’t have any Muggle relatives, do you?”

“No…at least, not any close ones,” Dani said.

“Ok then.Well, basically, each player starts with fifteen marbles each, and we each put fourteen marbles in the circle, on our side of the line in the center,” Rowan explained.“Here, you can have some of my spare marbles, since you don’t have any.”She handed Dani two handfuls of green marbles with one noticeably red marble.“That red marble you don’t put in the center with the others, since it’s your shooter marble.It’s the one you flick into the center to try and knock my marbles out of the circle, which will earn you points.”

“And when my marbles get knocked out of the circle, I get sprayed in the face?” Dani asked apprehensively, sitting down across from Rowan.

“Yeah, and if you knock your own marbles out of the circle, you get sprayed then, too,” Rowan chuckled.“It’s supposed to motivate you to play better that way, since the stuff in the marbles smells awful.”

“Great…I’m definitely looking forward to playing it now…” Dani said sarcastically.

“Wow, really?I’m so glad!” Rowan exclaimed.

“Er…that was sarcasm, Rowan,” Dani said awkwardly.“I’m not actually looking forward to getting sprayed in the face with some awful-smelling gunk.”

“Oh…sorry, sometimes it can be hard for me to pick up on that,” Rowan said awkwardly.“Could you please still play with me, though?It’s gross when you get sprayed, but it’s really funny when your opponent gets sprayed.And unless you’re absolutely awful, I’ll be getting sprayed as well.”

Dani still wasn’t looking forward to getting sprayed with smelly unknown goo, but she couldn’t turn down the puppy eyes Rowan was giving her, especially since their power seemed to be magnified by Rowan’s glasses.“Well, alright, since you seem to like it so much,” she conceded.“After all, it can’t be worse than getting strangled by a deadly plant.”

“Yes, exactly!” Rowan said.“How are you recovering from that, by the way?I’ve noticed you wearing that scarf a lot.”

“Still sore,” Dani said, pulling the Ravenclaw blue-and-bronze scarf away from her neck to show the purple imprint of the Devil’s Snare’s attempt to kill her.Rowan winced sympathetically as she put her blue marbles into their spots on her side of the circle.“Yeah, there’s more under my robes, but no one ever sees those.I’ve gotten a few looks here and there, but that Ravenclaw boy always wears his scarf no matter how cold it is, so that helps.”

“Andre Egwu?” Rowan wondered.“Yeah, he really likes Pride of Portree, so he always wears that scarf in support of them.Did you hear he’s trying to get a spot on the Quidditch team, despite being a first year?”

“I thought first years couldn’t join the Quidditch team?” Dani asked, putting her marbles down in the circle.

“Yeah, they can’t, which is why we take Flying Class instead,” Rowan confirmed.“A first year hasn’t been on any Hogwarts Quidditch team for almost a century, actually.You can move first with your marble if you want.”

“How do I…?” Dani looked at her marble, wondering how exactly she was supposed to “shoot” it.

“Ah, sorry, almost forgot,” Rowan said.“You flick it with your thumb on top of your closed fist like you’re flipping a coin.”

Dani attempted the maneuver, and her marble ended up shooting a few of both her own and Rowan’s marbles out of the ring.The red marble in the circle quivered and shook, and squirted Dani with a faceful of gunk.The goo smelled like a mix between rotten eggs and bleach, and it was strangely warm.Dani had to force down a gag as she gingerly tried to wipe it off of her face.

“Don’t worry,” Rowan said, as she wiped off the gunk she herself had been squirted with.“You’ll get better at it, either through learning yourself, or from the threat of being sprayed.”

She flicked her own marble into the ring, and Dani’s marbles were knocked around the ring, one unfortunately slipping just outside of the boundary of the circle.Dani tried to duck the spray ofgunk, but that marble was too good for her reflexes, and yet another wave of gross-smelling liquid covered her face.Dani closed her lips tightly to try and prevent it from getting in her mouth.If it smelled this bad, she could only imagine how badly it would taste.

Rowan chuckled at Dani’s face, and Dani glared at her.She took her own marble in her hand and flicked it into the circle.Rowan’s blue marbles knocked against each other as they were hit, but none of them got kicked out of the ring.Dani pouted.

Rowan picked up her own marble, and Dani was suddenly hit with a very devious idea.As Rowan aimed, Dani suddenly asked her, “So what do you think Merula has against us, to try and _kill_ us like that?Maybe she _hates_ you for saying that your list of powerful witches and wizards didn’t include her.”

“H-huh?” Rowan jerked her head up, wide-eyed, and her sudden movement caused her thumb to slip and flick her marble prematurely.It weakly knocked against Dani’s marbles, but didn’t cause any of them to leave the circle.“What do you mean?Do you really think she hates me?”She looked more than a bit uneasy at the thought.

Dani smirked at her victory.“No, it was a dumb thought.Forget I said anything.”She flicked her own marble into the ring, and one of Rowan’s marbles was knocked free.Rowan spluttered as she got a face full of goo.

“Eurgh,” Rowan said simply. 

Dani snorted.Maybe she had a bit of a chance after all.“Seriously, though, why do you think Merula is so obsessed with proving she’s the best witch at Hogwarts?”

“I’ve been wondering the same thing myself, actually,” Rowan confessed, readying her marble in her hand.“I decided to research her family to try and figure out why she acts the way she does.”

“Did you find out she’s a _secret Death Eater_ bent on _destroying all wand trees?_ ” Dani asked dramatically.

Rowan chuckled and sent her marble smoothly into the ring.“You’re not too far off, actually.”

Dani gaped, but closed her mouth quickly as she got sprayed, resulting in a face that caused Rowan to burst out laughing.“What do you mean, I’m not too far off?What did you find out?”

 

After a few turns, Rowan finally figured out Dani’s strategy in trying to distract her from shooting her marble well, but Dani kept getting better at figuring out how to best shake her up.Rowan still won, but it was closer than it would have been otherwise.

“I can’t believe you would do that!” Rowan pushed Dani playfully.“Telling me the Forbidden Forest is getting chopped down just to keep yourself in the game!Shame on you!”

“Well, you still won,” Dani shot back.“Still though, that was fun!Even if we both smell now.”

“Well, well, well, isn’t this precious?” a familiar raspy voice spoke up from behind them.Dani turned to see Merula sauntering up to them, an infuriating smirk on her face as she took in their goo-covered forms.

“What do _you_ want, Merula?” Dani asked.

“Hello, Eisold,” Merula greeted her mockingly.“Khanna.You both are unfortunately looking well after wrestling with the Devil’s Snare.”

“No thanks to you,” Dani retorted.“Upset that your plan to kill us didn’t work out?”

“A bit, yes,” Merula sneered.Dani heard Rowan growl behind her.“Guess I’ll have to figure out some other way to purge you from the school, so you can’t ruin it like your brother tried to.”Her eyes narrowed, and she smirked.“Speaking of which, while your two were off playing with plants, I’ve been doing a little research about him.Want to hear about it?”

“No, I don’t,” Dani lied.How had Merula gotten information on Jacob?“Why can’t you just leave us alone?”

“Because you’re a threat to Hogwarts, just like him,” Merula said.“And none of us will be safe until you’re gone.”

“What are you talking about, Merula?” Rowan asked.

“I’m so glad you asked, Khanna,” Merula sang.Dani felt like shoving her into the Devil’s Snare.“Eisold’s brother didn’t _just_ get expelled for endangering the school in search of some imaginary vaults….He immediately went missing, and the next time he was seen, he was working for Voldemort.”

Dani stared at her, and Rowan choked in shock.“Y-you can’t say that!” Rowan protested, bug-eyed behind her glasses.“You have to say He Who Must Not Be Named!”

“I say what I want,” Merula stated simply, looking at Rowan smugly. 

“You’re lying,” Dani said, her voice shaking to her chagrin.Merula looked at her.“You’re lying about my brother having anything to do with He Who Must Not Be Named!”

Merula laughed.“No wonder the professors were talking about you before the Feast.They must be wondering whether you’re going to end up working for the Dark Lord, too.”

“Y-You’ve got some nerve!” Rowan shot at her.“Accusing Dani and Jacob of working with He Who Must Not Be Named, with your family’s history!”

“You don’t know anything about me!” Merula snapped, crossing her arms.

“Your parents are locked up in Azkaban for being loyal to You Know Who during the War,” Dani said.“Rowan told me everything.You’re not the only one who’s been doing research.”

“Why don’t you just drop out of Hogwarts,” Merula growled.“Save Ravenclaw and your little friend here the embarrassment of being associated with you and the destruction you’ll cause.”

“You’re just afraid I’ll be better than you, and that everyone will see you for the little rat that you are!” Dani snapped at her.

“Afraid?I’ll duel you right now!” Merula swiftly drew out her wand.

Dani reached for her own wand, then realized with a jolt that she didn’t know any spells except Lumos.She couldn’t fight Merula.Not now, anyway.She crossed her arms.“You aren’t worth my time, Merula.Keep this nonsense to yourself.Come on, Rowan.”Rowan nodded, and the two started to walk back to the front door of Hogwarts.

“Don’t you walk away from me!” Merula shrieked behind them. _“Flipendo!”_

Dani felt a strong force shove her from behind, and she lost her balance, crashing into the ground.She felt her palms scrape on the pavement as she braced her fall, and felt her stockings rip as her knees scraped as well.She heard a snide chuckle, and looked back through her hair to see Merula putting her wand back into her robes, a smug smile on her face.

“Learn some spells, Eisold.Maybe next time, you’ll actually put up a fight, instead of walking away like the coward you are.”Merula smirked, and walked past them, making sure to bump into Dani as she strode past.

“Are you alright, Dani?” Rowan asked, holding a hand out.Dani took it, and got to her feet, wincing from her new wounds.

“I’m ok, just need new tights,” Dani grimaced.

“Merula’s never going to leave us alone, is she?” Rowan said sadly.

“Not unless I learn some new spells, and find someone who can teach me how to duel…” Dani said grimly.

“You’re actually thinking of dueling her?” Rowan gasped.“But dueling is against school rules!You’ll just get in trouble!”

“I’ll get in more trouble if I don’t figure out some way to stop her,” Dani said.“Dueling may be our best bet…”

**Author's Note:**

> I love getting feedback! At the very least, please leave kudos if you liked it, or, if you feel like going further, let me know your thoughts in a comment! I'll probably respond, too!
> 
> And if you want to reach out in some other way, my tumblr is https://chaoticpolarity.tumblr.com :)


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